Baku City Street Circuit Preview

F1 is back in Azerbaijan and ready to race on the streets of Baku. Here is everything you need to know before this weekend’s Grand Prix!

(Image Credit to @f1 on Instagram)

First on the calendar in 2016, Baku gave us 51 laps of raw racing; this is equivalent to the 306.049km race distance. The fastest lap record set by Charles Leclerc in 2019 with a 1:43.009s around the 6.003 km. Will another driver beat him or can he improve on this time in 2025?

(Image Credit to GRANDPRIX247)

Last year saw Oliver Bearman step in for Kevin Magnussen in his Haas. This was after the Danish racer received a one-race ban due to collecting 12 penalty points on his super license. Oscar Piastri took the chequered flag with Charles Leclerc second after an unexpected crash between his teammate, Carlos Sainz, and Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. George Russell was lucky to inherit a P3 finish due to the crash and would score some great points for Mercedes. In addition, Lando Norris, who started in 15th due to a Q1 exit, had a fantastic recovery drive, surpassing his championship rival on track to come home in fourth. This immense haul of points by the McLaren drivers meant they jumped ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. 

(Image Credit to Red Bull)

What excitement is Baku bringing to F1 this time around? With Max Verstappen winning in Monza and Lando finishing ahead of Oscar, the championship is all to play for with 31 points separating the two McLaren drivers. With McLaren giving Norris a slow stop (5.9 seconds), Piastri ended up ahead of him on track in second. However, the team ordered them to switch positions and then let them race, meaning Lando finished P2 and Oscar finished P3. With Oscar Piastri having won in Azerbaijan last year, can he repeat this feat, or could his rival, Lando Norris, sweep the floor and take the gold trophy? Best not count out the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, who’s had a great start to his second half of the season so far - could he interrupt McLaren’s fighting like he did in Italy?

Article written by Alice Seager ©️Alice Seager 2025