Sector one: There’s a long run from the start-finish line down to the first corner, which will favour effective use of KERS. The first corner is then a tight hairpin that requires engine braking as well as literal braking to go from 288kph to just 94kph. There is also a banking change after corner one where the track goes downhill, giving the car a tendency to understeer. Corner two is maybe the toughest corner of the track as it’s downhill so the braking is difficult and it’s easy to lock a wheel and miss the apex. The exit is important though as cars go onto a 790m medium long straight, the only real straight on the circuit other than the pit straight. This short straight is the only other opportunity the engine has to ‘breathe’ over the 4.381km track.

Sector two:  The sixth gear 225kph turn four, the highest speed corner on the track, has a little bump as cars go uphill. It’s the twistiest sector and cars will not reach any more than 245kph as they negotiate mainly third gear corners. All the corners seem to link together – turn five is a radial corner and patience on the throttle is rewarded as as there are lots of bumps that upset the balance of the car. The driver then goes on to approach six and seven, a slow chicane taken at 100kph. Turns eight to 11 flow together and never seem to end – the engine must work over the lower revs here and offer responsiveness through the sequence of bends. The entry and exit into and from turn 11 is particularly important as there is a short straight before the final complex of the track.

Sector three: After the short straight drivers enter an arena section where the cars snake through a series of S-shaped bends, changing direction rapidly. The engine needs to be particularly responsive through this section, allowing the driver to carry the speed through the turns and on the exit of turn 14 onto the pit straight for another lap.