Formula 1 is well into the second half of its season and both championship battles are becoming tighter with each race.
McLaren have capitalised on development opportunities to rein in Max Verstappen and Red Bull, and are just nine points away from overtaking their rivals in the constructors’ championship.
Baku’s narrow and unforgiving street circuit punishes the smallest mistakes, and with the field so close, it looks set to be another tight battle for the podium.
The forecast is predicted to be hot and settled, with highs of 30°C on Friday and Sunday, and partially cloudy on Saturday.
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Adrian Newey puts pen to paper at Aston Martin, plus Baku GP preview | Listen to the latest podcast episode.
Circuit stats and history
Despite street circuits becoming increasingly popular in Formula 1, Baku remains a standout event on the calendar. It is the only F1 track to skirt around a UNESCO world heritage site, with the section around Turns 8, 9 and 10 lined by the walls of the city’s charming old town.
When the circuit first joined the race calendar in 2016, race organisers tarmacked over cobbled streets with the intention of lifting the temporary asphalt each year, but ultimately decided to leave the track surface in place.
The long pit straight, which includes the high-speed kinks of Turns 18, 19 and 20, sees cars reach speeds in excess of 220 mph and invites overtaking at Turn 1. Races have a tendency to be either utterly chaotic or somewhat routine, but with the walls so close and the speeds so high, a race-defining safety car is only ever one small mistake away.
Laps: 51 laps of 6km. Total distance 306km
Lap record: 1:43.009, Charles Leclerc (2019)
Most wins: Sergio Pérez (2021, 2023). Daniel Ricciardo (2017), Lewis Hamilton (2018), Valtteri Bottas (2019), and Verstappen (2022) have also won here.
Most poles: Leclerc with three consecutive…
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