The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a little different from a typical Formula 1 weekend. The action starts on Thursday with the first two free practice sessions, followed by qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday instead of the usual Sunday.
Set among the historic streets of Baku, the Baku City Circuit combines tight corners and narrow sections with one of the longest straights on the F1 calendar. With little room for error and plenty of opportunities for overtaking, Baku always provides a unique challenge for the drivers.
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Baku city circuit
The Baku City Circuit is a unique mix of wide, open sections and tight, twisty corners. Its famous main straight runs along the Baku shoreline, creating plenty of opportunities for slipstreaming and overtaking. At the other end of the circuit, the track winds through the narrow streets of Baku’s historic Old Town, passing the medieval city walls.
The circuit features 20 turns and 51 laps, with each lap covering 6.003 kilometres. This makes the total race distance 306.049 kilometres. With little room for mistakes, the drivers have to find the perfect balance between enough downforce for the tight sections and low drag for the long straight. The fastest speed ever recorded here is 378 km/h, set by Valtteri Bottas in 2016.
Last year, Max Verstappen took pole position and went on to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Azerbijan 2025
Last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a weekend full of drama, starting with an unusually chaotic qualifying session. The session was interrupted by no fewer than six red flags after several drivers found the barriers. Despite the chaos, Max Verstappen secured pole position, with Carlos Sainz surprisingly taking second for Williams and Liam Lawson qualifying third for Racing Bulls.
Piastri, who arrived in Baku as the championship leader, crashed in qualifying and started ninth, before crashing again on the opening lap of the race. Carlos Sainz went on to finish third, securing Williams’ first podium since 2021, while Verstappen led every lap on his way to victory. He also completed a Grand Chelem, taking pole position, winning the race, setting the fastest lap and leading every lap.
What to Watch For This Weekend
Baku is one of those circuits where the race can change in an instant. The combination of long straights, tight corners and narrow sections through the Old City makes it a challenging track for both drivers and teams. With very little room for mistakes, even a small error can have a big impact on the race.
Strategy could also play an important role this weekend. The long main straight creates plenty of opportunities for overtaking, while a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car could completely change the order. Teams will have to be ready to react quickly if the race takes an unexpected turn.
Another thing to watch is tyre management. Finding the right balance between performance and keeping the tyres alive could be crucial, especially if the race becomes a battle of different strategies.
So, will we see another surprise result in Baku, or will the championship contenders take control? With this circuit, it is difficult to predict what will happen until the chequered flag falls.
What time does the Azerbijan GP start in my time zone?
Free Practice 1
- Las Vegas (PDT): 1:30 AM
- London (BST): 9:30 AM
- Berlin (CEST): 10:30 AM
- Moscow (MSK): 11:30 AM
- Dubai (GST): 12:30 PM
- India (IST): 2:00 PM
- China (CST): 4:30 PM
- Singapore (SGT): 4:30 PM
- Tokyo (JST): 5:30 PM
- Melbourne (AEST): 6:30 PM
- New York (EDT): 5:30 AM
Free Practice 2
- Las Vegas (PDT): 5:00 AM
- London (BST): 1:00 PM
- Berlin (CEST): 2:00 PM
- Moscow (MSK): 3:00 PM
- Dubai (GST): 4:00 PM
- India (IST): 6:30 PM
- China (CST): 8:00 PM
- Singapore (SGT): 8:00 PM
- Tokyo (JST): 9:00 PM
- Melbourne (AEST): 10:00 PM
- New York (EDT): 8:00 AM
Free Practice 3
- Las Vegas (PDT): 1:30 AM
- London (BST): 9:30 AM
- Berlin (CEST): 10:30 AM
- Moscow (MSK): 11:30 AM
- Dubai (GST): 12:30 PM
- India (IST): 2:00 PM
- China (CST): 4:30 PM
- Singapore (SGT): 4:30 PM
- Tokyo (JST): 5:30 PM
- Melbourne (AEST): 6:30 PM
- New York (EDT): 5:30 AM
Qualifying
- Las Vegas (PDT): 5:00 AM
- London (BST): 1:00 PM
- Berlin (CEST): 2:00 PM
- Moscow (MSK): 3:00 PM
- Dubai (GST): 4:00 PM
- India (IST): 6:30 PM
- China (CST): 8:00 PM
- Singapore (SGT): 8:00 PM
- Tokyo (JST): 9:00 PM
- Melbourne (AEST): 10:00 PM
- New York (EDT): 8:00 AM
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Las Vegas (PDT): 4:00 AM
- London (BST): 12:00 PM
- Berlin (CEST): 1:00 PM
- Moscow (MSK): 2:00 PM
- Dubai (GST): 3:00 PM
- India (IST): 5:30 PM
- China (CST): 7:00 PM
- Singapore (SGT): 7:00 PM
- Tokyo (JST): 8:00 PM
- Melbourne (AEST): 9:00 PM
- New York (EDT): 7:00 AM
