2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Fast Facts

The European part of the Formula 1 season has come to an end, and the sport bids farewell to the Old Continent as it prepares for the final third of the championship, starting in Baku, the City of Winds. The capital of Azerbaijan is the biggest urban area on the Caspian Sea, as well as the entire Caucasus region. It has hosted a Grand Prix every year since 2016, with the exception of 2020. Curiously, that first year it was known as the European Grand Prix, even though Azerbaijan is geographically in Asia.

The Compounds

Pirelli is bringing its softest trio of 2025 compounds for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which is a step softer than last year. In fact, the C6 is back as the Soft, having already been used in Imola, Monaco and Montreal. The C5 will be the Medium and the C4 the Hard.

On a street circuit with low levels of grip and wear, bringing the same selection as in 2024 would inevitably have led to a one-stop strategy. At least this way, considering that this year’s range suffers much less from graining, it opens up the possibility of a two-stop strategy.

This year, most recently at Monza, the teams and drivers have become adept at managing the tyres well, so that the race is unlikely to see very different strategies. Although it’s a street track, Baku has some very long straights where the cars hit very high top speeds, which place significant vertical loads on the tyres.

The Track

The Baku City Circuit is 6.003 kilometres long and winds its way through the old town and the more modern part of the Azerbaijan capital. It boasts 20 corners, many of them at 90 degrees. The main straight is very wide and has room for at least three cars to race side by side. However, in some sections of the old city such as turn 8, the narrowest of all, the track is only seven metres wide.

As is always the case on this type of circuit, the margin for error is minimal and the slightest mistake from a driver carries a high price. This means that the Safety Car can be a regular feature in qualifying and the race.

Speeds in Baku also vary wildly. The unofficial fastest top speed recorded in a Formula 1 event was set here by Valtteri Bottas who hit 378 km/h in qualifying for the 2016 race, but there are tight sections tackled at around 60 km/h. That makes life difficult for the engineers when it comes to defining the level of aerodynamic downforce, seeking the most efficient compromise to ensure the car is competitive in both qualifying and the race.

The Stats

There have been eight Grands Prix held on the shore of the Caspian Sea, with seven different winners. The only driver to claim two victories is Sergio Perez, driving for Red Bull in 2021 and 2023. The Milton Keynes squad is the most successful with further wins in 2017 and 2022, courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen respectively. Mercedes has won three times with Rosberg in 2016, Hamilton in 2018 and Bottas in 2019, while last year, Oscar Piastri was first across the finish line for McLaren.

While there have been several names on the winner’s trophy, when it comes to pole positions, one driver is the master of Baku: Charles Leclerc has been quickest in qualifying four times in a row from 2021 to 2024, even at times when his car had not seemed competitive enough to take pole. The other drivers who have secured the top grid slot are Rosberg (2016), Hamilton (2017), Vettel (2018) and Bottas (2019).

Perez leads the way when it comes to podium finishes with 5, followed by Vettel on 3. As for the teams, Mercedes is on 7 ahead of Red Bull with 6 and Ferrari on 5.

How to Watch the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries worldwide.

This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix Fast Facts

• The Baku City Circuit is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year – only Spa, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer.
• A lap of the track sees drivers change gear 71 times, more than at any other circuit on the 2025 calendar.
• The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. The layout is one of two tracks on the 2025 calendar has more braking zones of over 2G. Singapore is the other.
• The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 200 metres longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps.
• The 2.2 km start/finish straight therefore contributes to a difficult restart for the leader, with a strong tow for the driver behind leaving them vulnerable into Turn 1.
• At just 89.5m, the run down from pole position to the first braking point is the shortest on the entire 2025 calendar.
• Baku has the second-highest number of turns on the F1 2025 calendar, with 20 – a figure it shares with COTA in Austin. Jeddah in Saudi Arabia has the most with 27.
• The name Baku derives from the shortened Persian name Bad-kuye, meaning “wind city”, along with Bad-kube, which means “wind-hitting.” Both terms refer to the famously consistently strong winds that blow through the city.
• Baku hosted an F1 Sprint weekend for the one and only time to date in 2023.
• In 2024, the event moved dates to September for the first time, having previously taken place in the first half of the season (April or May).
• F1 first visited Baku in 2016, when the race was known as the European Grand Prix. It has been known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix every year since.