Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Baku City Circuit
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has quickly established itself as one of Formula 1®’s most unpredictable races. The Baku City Circuit first appeared on the World Championship calendar in 2016 as the European Grand Prix, before hosting the inaugural Azerbaijan Grand Prix the following year. Set against the Caspian Sea and the historic streets of Baku, the race has become known for its unusual combination of high-speed racing and tight, unforgiving corners.
At 6.003km, Baku is one of the longest circuits on the Formula 1® calendar and features 20 corners. Its defining feature is the 2.2km run along the seafront, where cars reach some of the highest speeds of the season before braking heavily for Turn 1. The lap then moves into the narrow streets of Icheri Sheher, where the track passes the medieval city walls and includes one of the tightest sections on the calendar. Finding the right balance between low drag for the straights and enough downforce for the technical sections is one of the defining challenges of the weekend.
Baku has produced a remarkable variety of winners and dramatic races since its arrival on the calendar. Daniel Ricciardo took the first Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory in 2017 after a chaotic race that featured incidents involving several of the leading drivers. Sergio Perez became the first driver to win the race twice when he triumphed in 2021, while Oscar Piastri's 2024 victory came after a tense battle with Charles Leclerc. No driver had won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix more than once before Perez's second victory, underlining just how difficult the circuit has been to master consistently.
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix added another chapter to Baku's unpredictable history. George Russell held off Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds to take victory in a dramatic race that saw six drivers retire. With the Azerbaijan Grand Prix now secured on the Formula 1® calendar through 2030, the 2027 race will once again bring the championship to one of its most distinctive street circuits.
Previous winners:
2026 George Russell
2025 Max Verstappen
2024 Oscar Piastri