As the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024 starts on Sunday at 15:00, F1 and F2 drivers are gearing up for their final race on the iconic Baku City Circuit.
The Azerbaijani stint of the 2024 Formula 1 season will conclude with Sunday’s FIA Formula 2 Feature Race and Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc made it four successive pole positions at the Baku City Circuit by beating Oscar Piastri to the top spot during Saturday’s qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Red Bull showed flashes of pace throughout qualifying but ultimately had to settle for fourth and sixth, with two-time Azerbaijan winner Sergio Perez getting the better of Max Verstappen, while George Russell put his Mercedes in fifth.
Lewis Hamilton seemingly faced a battle to get his tyres up to temperature en route to seventh place, as Fernando Alonso took eighth for Aston Martin and Williams drivers Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon completed the Q3 order.
Joshua Durksen’s patience was tested by debutants Christian Mansell and Gabriele Mini as he waited for the opportune moment to complete passes en route to a dominant maiden F2 victory.
Starting from fourth, Durksen took advantage of a poor start from Jack Crawford (DAMS) to move into the top three places, but was comfortable sitting behind the new faces at Trident and Prema in the early phases.
Verstappen leads the driver standings with 303 points, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
With 446 points, Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT tops the 2024 constructor standings, followed by McLaren (438), Ferrari (407) and Mercedes (292).
The first F1 race in Azerbaijan took place in 2016 under the banner of the European Grand Prix, which saw Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas clocking a new top speed for an F1 car (378km/h).
Baku City Circuit, with its winding streets, inclines, descents and breathtaking turns, is rightfully considered the fastest and most unpredictable of the F1 street circuits.
Designed by German engineer Hermann Tilke, the leading track designer in F1, the Baku City Circuit is an exhibition of Azerbaijan’s vibrant capital.
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.
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.
At just over 6.003km, the Baku City Circuit is the second-longest circuit in F1.
Azerbaijan GP race winners for previous years are as follows:
2016 – Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2017 – Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
2018 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2019 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
2020 – Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2023 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull)