AzerbaijanGrand Prix

At 6.003km, the track is the fourth-longest on the 2025 schedule. Only Jeddah, Spa-Francorchamps, and Las Vegas are longer.

Drivers will be kept busier on the steering wheel than at any other location this season, as no layout requires more gear changes (71) to complete a lap than Baku.

The long run out of the final corner to the first left-hand turn in the longest full-throttle section of the entire year, 200m longer than La Source to Les Combes at Spa.

There is not much time to settle into a rhythm after the lights go out either, with the 89.5m run from pole position to the first-braking zone of the lap the shortest of the entire season.

No circuit quite epitomises the phrase ‘no margin for error’ quite like Baku.

The infamous Turn 8 through the Castle section of the lap contains the narrowest corner on the whole calendar at just 7.6m (24.9 feet) wide.

Not Like Other Street Tracks

“What makes Baku stand out is that you can overtake here – which is rare for a street circuit!” says Test and Reserve Driver Fred.

“It is always an exciting race, and the long pit straight sets up close racing around the lap.

“You need to constantly push the limits and get as close to the walls as possible to get the best time.”

Silverware by the Shore

The team has recorded three wins in Baku with three different drivers.

Nico Rosberg won on F1’s inaugural visit to the city in 2016, and that was followed by success for Lewis Hamilton in 2017, and Valtteri Bottas in 2019.

Overall, no team has scored more podiums (seven) in the capital prior to 2025 than the three-pointed star.

While he is yet to reach the top step in Azerbaijan, the race is one of four tracks where George has finished in the top three on multiple occasions (2022 and 2024). The other circuits he has achieved this at are Barcelona, Montreal, and Budapest.

Baku was also the sight of George’s first F2 win in his title-winning 2018 season. The Mercedes junior secured victory in the Sprint race, just his fourth start in the series.

The circuit also has special memories for Fred, who won his maiden Formula 2 race during the 2022 Grand Prix weekend.

A year later, the Dane scored a P2 and P4 finish from two races in Azerbaijan in the same category.

Kimi has also made it onto the rostrum in Baku, finishing P3 in the 2024 Formula 2 Feature Race.

After a double no-score for Lewis and Valtteri at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the team would go on to record its joint-longest run of consecutive Grand Prix points finishes in its history between France 2021 and Saudi Arabia 2024 (62 races).

The same figure was also achieved between Brazil 2012 and Russia 2016.

Did You Know?

The name Baku derives from the shortened Persian name Bad-kuye, meaning "wind city", along with Bad-kube, which means "wind-hitting."

Both terms refer to the famously consistently strong winds that blow through the city.