F1 Azerbaijan GP: Why Drivers Love Racing at Baku
The streets of Baku first hosted a Formula 1 race in 2016, with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg emerging victorious. It was still called the European Grand Prix then, but in 2017, the event was renamed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Spearheaded by famous track designer Hermann Tilke, the Baku City Circuit is a street track that's unlike other conventional street circuits. Similar to Monaco, drivers need to be precise in navigating the tight walls around here, but the Baku layout actually provides genuine overtaking opportunities.
Red Bull has largely dominated here, winning five of the nine F1 races held at Baku, including four of the last five. Of course, they'd have a more difficult time in 2026, with current championship leader Kimi Antonelli extracting consistently good performance from his Mercedes car.
What makes Baku different from other street circuits?
The street circuits at Monaco, Singapore, and most recently, Madrid, are predominantly slow, technical, and confined. This makes it very difficult for drivers to overtake, like we just saw in that uneventful Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring.
But Baku is a different beast. After winning the 2017 Azerbaijan GP, Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo said that Baku's different from other street tracks because there are "lots of places where you can pass."
Max Verstappen also chimed in with his thoughts, saying that the castle section is "a lot of fun to drive."
The longest flat-out section on the calendar
The straight from Turn 16 to Turn 1 stretches a full 2.2 kilometers with drivers fully on the throttle the entire way. We've seen a lot of epic overtakes at the end of the straight. Oscar Piastri's very bold dive into Turn 1 helped him snatch the race lead from Charles Leclerc and win the 2024 Azerbaijan GP.
But drivers have to be very careful with their braking technique here. After spending so long at full throttle, the car reaches Turn 1 at enormous speed.
The tight castle section that claimed many red flags
Then, the track winds down to its narrowest section at Icheri Sheher, or the castle section. It's incredibly narrow, leaving drivers little to no margin for error.
It's where Robert Kubica crashed his car in the first session of the 2019 qualifying. Leclerc would then follow suit in Q2, forcing him to make the "I am stupid, I am stupid" message over the team radio.
A street circuit that doesn't compromise racing
We were treated to a snoozefest at the Madring a couple of weeks ago, but that won't happen here at Baku. It may have the narrow streets, barriers, and huge braking risks of a street track, but there are long straights and high-speed corners where drivers can slipstream and overtake.
It does require a strategic car setup, so let's see which team gets it right.
