AzerbaijanGrand Prix

What You Need To Know

Azerbaijan is one of the newer additions to the Formula 1 calendar, hosting a race since 2016. The track is the second-longest on the calendar after Spa-Francorchamps.

The track layout takes drivers past famous sights such as the Maiden Tower, the historic old town and the beach promenade. The pits are directly in front of the Government House building.

The circuit features the 90-degree bends now obligatory for street racetracks, but mixed in with long straights and some high-speed, sweeping sections towards the end of the lap.

As the circuit is not a permanent racetrack, grip, or the lack of it, plays an important role. The track must first be rubbered in. Having plenty of mechanical grip is important in this respect so that drivers can power out of the tight, slow-speed corners.

Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• The Baku City Circuit has been relegated to fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year - the introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with a layout that is 0.117km greater in length, moving into third.

• The track does rank highest in terms of gear changes per lap though; a total of 72 the joint-most across the season, the same number as seen in Singapore.

• The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. Two heavy stopping zones lead to a braking force of more than 4g being sustained for over 0.4 seconds at times.

• Only two drivers have won having started from pole position: Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Valtteri Bottas in 2019, both driving for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1.

• Given the nature of a street circuit, it's perhaps no surprise that the Safety Car has seen action in three of the last five editions - with seven individual deployments across this collection of races.

• The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 200 metres longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps.

• The 2.2 km start/finish straight therefore contributes to a very difficult restart for the leader, with a strong tow for the driver behind leaving them vulnerable into Turn 1.

• 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.