Baku is preparing to host its 10th anniversary Formula 1 Grand Prix. Over the years, the Baku City Circuit has become known as one of the most unpredictable tracks on the championship calendar, witnessing records, unexpected victories, and dramatic finishes. In 2026, one of the factors making the Baku race unpredictable is the championship battle: season leader Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with an 81-point lead over his closest rival, Baku City Circuit told APA.
It was noted that this year’s race weekend schedule will also be different. Free practice sessions will take place on Thursday, September 24, qualifying will be held on Friday, and the main race will take place on Saturday, September 26:
“The first Formula 1 race at the Baku City Circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, was held in 2016. That year, the event was called the European Grand Prix. Since 2017, the Baku race has been included in the calendar as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. During this period, the race was not held only in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to the information, one lap of the Baku City Circuit is 6.003 kilometers long. During the race, drivers complete 51 laps, covering a total distance of more than 306 kilometers. The circuit, which runs counterclockwise, consists of 20 turns.
One of the most famous sections of the circuit runs along the walls of the Old City. At Turn 8, the width of the track narrows to approximately 7.6 meters. The proximity of the barriers leaves drivers with almost no room for error. Another distinctive feature of the Baku circuit is its starting section: the distance between pole position and the braking point for the first turn is just 141 meters.
Baku is also one of the circuits that makes teams’ work difficult in terms of car setup. After the narrow and slow corners in the Old City, drivers face long, high-speed sections. Therefore, teams must find the right balance between the aerodynamic downforce required in the corners and high speed on the straights. The proximity of the barriers to the track also increases the cost of every mistake.
Valtteri Bottas demonstrated just how high speeds can be on the Baku circuit in 2016. The Finnish driver, who was racing for Williams, reached a speed of approximately 378 km/h. This remains one of the highest speeds ever recorded by a Formula 1 car during a race weekend.
However, it is not only the layout of the circuit that distinguishes the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Since the early years of the race, Baku has also witnessed events that have affected the outcome of individual races and, at times, the overall course of the championship. The 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was named the best race of the season. One of the most memorable moments of that race was the incident between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton behind the Safety Car. A total of 42 overtakes were recorded during the race. Daniel Ricciardo, who started from 10th place, made the most of all the incidents to claim victory in Baku.
A year later, one of the main incidents involved Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. The teammates, who battled for position several times throughout the race, eventually collided and were forced to retire. Later, race leader Valtteri Bottas suffered a puncture after running over debris on the track and lost the victory shortly before the finish.
In 2021, the winner also remained uncertain until the very end. After race leader Verstappen crashed at high speed, the race was stopped with red flags. At the restart, Hamilton, his main rival in the championship battle, made a mistake at the first turn and consequently finished without points.
In 2024, the battle also continued until the final laps. Although Oscar Piastri was under pressure from Charles Leclerc for a long time, he maintained the lead and won in Baku. On the penultimate lap, a collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz brought the race to an early end for both drivers.
The 2025 race was not without incidents either. Qualifying was stopped six times due to red flags, setting a new Formula 1 record. The session lasted 1 hour and 58 minutes and was longer than the race held in Baku in 2024.
All of this demonstrates just how unpredictable the Baku City Circuit can be. Even starting from pole position does not guarantee victory here. The long straight creates overtaking opportunities, while the deployment of the Safety Car can change all of the teams’ plans in an instant.
Sergio Perez made history as the first driver to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix twice, claiming victories on the Baku circuit in 2021 and 2023. Max Verstappen matched his former teammate’s achievement by crossing the finish line first in 2022 and 2025. Thus, ahead of the 10th race in Baku, both drivers have two victories each.
Charles Leclerc’s statistics in Baku stand out for a different reason. The Ferrari driver secured pole position in Baku four consecutive times in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Although Verstappen ended this streak in 2025, Leclerc still holds the record for the most pole positions at the Baku round. He also holds the race’s fastest lap record with a time of 1:43.009, set in 2019. Interestingly, Leclerc has been unable to convert any of his four pole positions in Baku into a victory. These results are further proof of how unpredictable the Baku race can be.
This time, Kimi Antonelli arrives in Baku as the championship leader. The Mercedes driver won the previous round in Madrid and has won eight of the first 14 races of the season. With nine rounds remaining until the end of the season, the Italian leads his teammate George Russell by 81 points.
Baku is a familiar circuit for Antonelli. In 2025, the Italian driver finished qualifying here in fourth place and also finished the race in the same position. A year later, Antonelli returns to Azerbaijan as the championship leader.”
It was reported that another point of interest will be the results of Verstappen and Leclerc:
“If Verstappen wins, he will become the first driver to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix three times. Leclerc, meanwhile, will seek to secure another pole position in Baku and, for the first time, convert a front-row start into victory.
This year, the format of the Formula 2 races will also be different. As F2 is the only support series for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the programme for the Baku round has been expanded. Two qualifying sessions will be held after free practice on Thursday. On Friday, the drivers will first compete in the sprint and then in the first feature race. The second feature race will take place on Saturday. In Formula 2, this format will be applied only at the Baku round.
The 2026 race will mark the 10th Formula 1 event in Azerbaijan. The Baku race, which began as the European Grand Prix in 2016, secured its place on the Formula 1 calendar as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in subsequent years.
The previous nine years have shown that the situation in the Baku race can change completely within a few laps, or sometimes even within a single turn. The narrow streets, long straights, and proximity of the barriers leave drivers with very little room for error. Now, a 10th race will be added to this history at the Baku City Circuit.”
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