Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix 2018: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More

Mercedes will try to hunt down their first win of the 2018 Formula 1 season on Sunday on the technical street circuit of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The race in Baku will be held for only the third time and the second time as the official Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, the defending world champion, has never finished on the podium.

TV Schedule

Saturday, April 28, 2 p.m. BST (Sky Sports F1) / 8:55 a.m. ET (ESPN 2): Qualifying

Sunday, April 29, 1:10 p.m. BST (Sky Sports F1) / 8:05 a.m. ET (ESPN 2): Race 

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Player (U.S.)

For the full list of drivers, visit the F1 website.

The Track

The Baku city circuit is one of the most challenging on the F1 calendar due to the wide variety of sections the drivers face in a single lap. Technical, slow-speed corners are blended with long straights, which often provide the only good overtaking points on the narrow track.

The close proximity of the walls and lack of run-off area make for a punishing track, and any mistake can result in disaster. Max Verstappen found that out the hard way in practice:

Here is a look at last year's pole lap, onboard with Hamilton:

Incidents tend to be plenty in Baku, making up for the frequent lack of overtakes.

Mercedes' Struggles

Daniel Ricciardo was the winner in Baku last year after an incident-filled race. Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel had their infamous brake-check incident that resulted in issues for both and opened the door for the Australian.

Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Ricciardo showed Red Bull's improved pace in practice on Friday, continuing the team's solid progression early this season. While Ferrari impressed in Australia and Bahrain, the Italians did not have a great showing on Friday, with Vettel struggling in the second session.

Perhaps most surprising was Mercedes' pace, which was significantly slower than that of Red Bull. The Silver Arrows―who have dominated the sport for years―are still without a win in 2018, and the early signs from Baku suggest their poor start could continue.

Per Mark Hughes of Sky Sports, it's no longer a case of bad luck and bad race strategy: There's a real problem with the Mercedes car:

Power and reliability have been key to Mercedes the last few seasons, and on paper, the Silver Arrows should dominate the long back straight of Baku. Valtteri Bottas appears to have better control of the W09, and he did show good pace in the first practice session.

But if Verstappen can clean things up in the slower sections, Red Bull could be in for a big weekend, with championship favourites Vettel and Hamilton both struggling. Their pace on the supersofts was impressive, but as always on a narrow street circuit, Saturday's qualifying session will be decisive.