Formula One Vault

PRIXVIEW – Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Round seventeen brings F1 to Western Asia and the Azerbaijani capital Baku, since joining the calendar in 2016 the high-speed street circuit has provided drama and controversy as drivers tackle the third-longest circuit on the calendar which features the narrowest section of the season, but also great overtaking opportunities.

Baku was the first of a new generation of street circuits, then the fastest on the calendar, thanks to its long straights and the flat-out blast between Turn Nineteen and One along Neftchilar Avenue. The within of much of the circuit is about the same as permeant circuits which increases the opportunities to overtake.

Drivers enjoy the challenge offered by its mixture of long straights, slow technical sections and no margin for error due to the proximity of the walls. It’s a race where drivers are likely to need to keep their eyes peeled so not to make mistakes though there are more opportunities to overtake than in Monaco.

But as ever that comes with the risk of crashing into the barriers, the nature of the circuit punishes cars and lockups are common forcing drivers to use escape roads where possible to avoid crashing out of qualifying. Baku requires high speed and downforce, but there is a high chance of safety cars and accidents with drama throughout the last eight races.

It’s a challenge as the high-speed downforce coupled with mostly wide streets create opportunities for overtaking, however, the barriers are never too far away meaning mistakes can lead to safety cars and red flags. But Monza should give us a very good idea of where performance is given they are very similar in what they need in terms of downforce and speed.

The circuit mixes the old with the new, modern high-rise hotels and skyscrapers are dotted around the circuit’s perimeter. But none of them sit quite as close to the action as the fortress walls of Baku’s old city – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Which is the narrowest section of circuit of the season, with 7.6m on the castle section.

This means that teams need to work out a balance between high speed and downforce, this makes the circuit one of the faster street circuits and the third fastest after Jeddah and Monza. Also, this has seen many dramatic races since joining the calendar in 2016, it’s a circuit of contrasts between long straights, slow technical sections and no margin for error due to the proximity of the walls. It’s a race where drivers are likely to need to keep their eyes peeled so as not to make mistakes though there are more opportunities to overtake than in Monaco.

Overtaking is possible in the new town, but in the old town, many of the streets are traditional of street circuits. But as ever that comes with the risk of crashing into the barriers, the nature of the circuit punishes cars and lockups are common forcing drivers to use escape roads where possible to avoid crashing out of qualifying but there isn’t runoff everywhere

Baku requires high speed and downforce, but there is a high chance of safety cars and accidents with drama throughout the last eight races. Teams need to work out a balance between high speed and downforce, this makes the circuit one of the faster street circuits and the third fastest after Jeddah and Monza. The final sector runs along the coastline making it a challenge to choose between drag and straight-line speed.

The 2016 GP2 support race saw twelve of the twenty-two cars retire. This means the teams need to be careful not to overheat the cars, make mistakes or crash, that also means there can be big rewards if teams pull off good strategy. Though the 2016 F1 race was largely uneventful, Baku has seen its fair share of drama and incidents.

2017 was defined by two on-track incidents, the first between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel at the first restart Vettel ran into the back of the Mercedes, Vettel accusing Hamilton of ‘brake testing’ him, the stewards didn’t agree handing him a ten-second penalty, this ultimately allowed Daniel Ricciardo into the lead and he went onto win. The second incident saw a collision between the Force India’s of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon bringing out the red flag.

Hamilton took victory in 2018 after his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had been leading with three laps to go was forced to retire after a tyre failure. Bottas however would take the top set the following year.

Following a years hiatus in 2021, Leclerc took back-to-back poles in Baku, despite struggling in practice Mercedes turned it around after setting up changes in practice for Hamilton to take pole. While Verstappen went off into the wall in the closing stages bringing out the red flag with five laps remaining, on the restart there was dramas for Hamilton.

Starting from pole for the restart with three laps to Perez took the lead from Hamilton, who had selected the wrong setting on his wheel. This resulted in another surprise result as Vettel took the podium for Aston Martin. Last year’s race saw Verstappen take victory ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez after Leclerc retired early on with a power unit issue.

Max Verstappen continued his dominance of 2022 overtaking Leclerc around half distance as the Ferrari driver started to suffer an engine failure about half distance, this followed his teammate Carlos Sainz

Race & Circuit Guide

Fast facts

• Sixth and eighth on the grid have supplied as many podium finishes as pole has. Both Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez took third place finishes after starting from eighth in 2017 and 2018 respectively, while Perez won from sixth in 2021 and Kimi Raikkonen finished second having started sixth in 2018.
• From the seven races held so far at the Baku City Circuit, Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Valtteri Bottas in 2019 are the only pole sitters who have gone on to win the Grand Prix.
• During qualifying for the 2016 race, Valtteri Bottas of Williams set an unofficial record for the highest-ever speed recorded in an F1 car at 378 km/h.
• After Spa, Jeddah and Las Vegas, Baku is the fourth longest track on the calendar, measuring 6.003km (3.730 miles). Part of the fun of the track for the drivers is the high speeds cars reach here, particularly along the 2.2km (1.4 miles) straight

Event timetable

What happened in 2023?

Charles Leclerc took pole position for the grand prix his third in a row in Baku after going two-tenths faster than Verstappen he was fastest in all three sectors on his final run in Q3. Sergio Perez was third the chaotic session which saw several red flags but a mixed Friday evening for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton best of the rest in fifth but George Russell missing out on Q3 by four thousandths

Perez won the sprint race after overtaking Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc midway through the race. The Mexican looked the favourite from the start and broke the DRS range around the halfway stage and built his lead after getting past Leclerc when he dived down the inside at Turn One after getting a tow and DRS to pass the Ferrari.

The Red Bull looked quick once again although as expected the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari closed slightly in the sprint though it is still yet to be seen how that will play out during a Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was third however the Red Bull driver was frustrated following contact with George Russell as they fought for third.

Perez looked unstoppable in the grand prix beating Verstappen by two seconds to become the first repeat winner in Baku. The Mexican controlled the race from the start despite Verstappen looking better off the line but throughout the early phase of the race looked pretty much evenly matched. However, Verstappen lost out to Perez under the safety car when he dropped behind when the Mexican managed to jump his teammate having just stopped before the safety car.

As he predicted Leclerc was a sitting duck and was passed by both Red Bull’s early on but had a thrilling battle with Fernando Alonso, however, it appeared to stabilise by the middle part of the race despite the Aston Martin drivers best effort to close the gap and pass the Ferrari. The gap eventually being eight-tenths meaning Alonso missed out on a fourth consecutive podium.

What to watch for?

We have had an unpredictable summer which history tells us is almost certain to continue on the streets of Baku. This race has only had one repeat winner since 2016 because the circuit is a high-speed and downforce street circuit where there is always plenty of drama, overtaking, and accidents. Baku is a street circuit where you can overtake but it’s not without risk because as ever the walls are not that far away, keeping drivers on their toes.

We know the caveats for qualifying where you need a banker lap, but this circuit will get faster and faster throughout the weekend as it is a street circuit. Sergio Perez is the only repeat winner, Red Bull’s fall from dominance has been the main story over the summer with them not winning a race since Barcelona which has been I feel down to multiple factors.

Max Verstappen hasn’t seemed settled in recent races and I don’t think Monza would have given them much hope going into this weekend given they are comparable because of the long straights and we saw Ferrari and McLaren fight for victory. Verstappen, I feel has been slipping back, seeing the frustrated Dutchman because things aren’t straight forwards as they appeared going into the European season.

I think that Lando Norris needs to start making a serious stake on this championship, while he is delivering winning the next two races would be a serious threat though he won’t be leading the championship come the autumn break. But I think it could be important winning the next two races giving him a boost giving him confidence going into the final quarter of the season, there’s so much to play for.

We are still figuring out what McLaren’s strategy is going to be in the second half and the meaning of ‘paypa rules,’ and what that means in terms of racing as well as their championship challenge. I feel they are leaning though I don’t think they will admit it towards putting weight behind Norris as he is their best option for winning the championship

Mercedes given the step forwards over the summer are becoming a factor in the Red Bull – McLaren fight when they get it together. I think they are fighting with Ferrari not just for third in the constructors but to be the disrupter in this championship, they will be trying to get more wins with Lewis Hamilton before he goes to Ferrari.

However, this is Baku, as we said anything can happen, given how tight it is across the three groups of cars we see, the front runners, midfield and backmarkers, there could be plenty of drama this weekend

2022 vs 2023 Race Data

20xx Lap time comparison

Tyres