Five Things to Know About the Azerbaijan GP

Since arriving on the Formula 1 scene in 2016, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has quickly developed a reputation for being one of the most unpredictable events on the calendar.

Held in the heart of Baku with the pit lane in the footprint of Government House, this race offers a blend of high-speed action on long straights and narrow turns around the walls of the old city. Here’s what you need to know about this weekend's event:

The Baku City Circuit is one of the longest circuits in F1, measuring just over six kilometres, with 20 turns that bend their way around the old and the new of Azerbaijan’s capital.

The track's middle sector weaves around the UNESCO-protected Walled City of Baku, which dates back as far as the 12th century. On the other end of the scale, the main straight - where cars hit speeds of over 350 km/h - is bookend by the ultra-modern Flame Towers and The Crescent.

Baku has earned a reputation for unpredictability, with plenty of drama occurring in the seven races it has hosted.

The tight sections, including the narrowest section of the entire season at just 7.6m wide, leave little room for error, while the 2km flat-out blast from T16 to T1 creates plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Notably, the 2017 race had it all multi-car overtakes, bold strategies, Safety Cars, a red flag, and a top three that featured the youngest rookie to ever stand on the podium - Lance Stroll.

Well, not quite. But Baku is the lowest altitude capital city in the world, meaning at some points we’ll be racing 28 metres below sea level.

It’s quite the contrast from where we’ll be battling it out in just three rounds time, when we’ll climb to 2.2km to race in Mexico City.

When Baku first arrived on the calendar in 2016, under the banner of the ‘European Grand Prix’, it ran in June. Ever since, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as it has been called from 2017 onwards, has either been hosted in that June slot or in April.

This year’s event will be the latest we’ve ever raced in Baku, but that doesn’t mean it’s likely to be any cooler. To check out the full forecast, read our Weather Watch.

Alex Albon will be looking to record his first-ever points finish in Azerbaijan this weekend, having come so close in his three previous F1 visits.

A P11 for Toro Rosso in 2019 was followed up by successive P12s with ourselves in 2022 and 2023. However, our Thai racer has had junior series success in Baku - the highlight being a stellar and crucially clean race to convert pole position into his first Formula 2 victory in 2018.

For Franco Colapinto, it will be his first experience of the Baku City Circuit and he will look to utilise the three practice sessions to build his way into the weekend.