Baku City Circuit[]
The Baku City Circuit is a motor racing street circuit located in Baku, Azerbaijan, near Baku Boulevard. The circuit is 6.003 km long, making it the second longest racing circuit on the F1 calendar. The inaugural F1 race in this circuit was the 2016 European Grand Prix. From 2017 onwards, it is part of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
History[]
Development
In December 2015, F1 president and CEO Bernie Ecclestone suggested that the race would be run in 2016, but due to troubles with the Korean Grand Prix hosts, it would be moved to 2015. Finally, in June 2014 it was announced that the circuit would eventually debut in 2016.
Design
The anti-clockwise layout of this track was designed by German architect Herrmann Tilke.The circuit was planned to start adjacent to Azadliq Square, then loop around Government House before heading west along a 1 km straight to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower. Here, the track was planned to have a narrow 7.6 m (25 ft) uphill traversal and then circle the Old City before opening up onto a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) stretch along Neftchilar Avenue back to the start line. The circuit was proposed to be the fastest street circuit in the world, with top speeds reaching and possibly surpassing 360 km/h.
2016 European Grand Prix
The circuit was inaugurally used for the 2016 European Grand Prix. The GP2 Series race was held beforehand, with almost half the drivers retiring or crashing in what was taken by the sport's supporters as absolute carnage. Surprisingly, the only retirements in the actual F1 race happened due to mechanical failures, with Nico Rosberg winning the race, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez to complete the podium.
2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The first ever Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a chaotic race, with fans calling it the best race of the season. The race itself brought about a historic podium for Williams and Lance Stroll, who finished in third, and a crash between championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, with the drivers finishing in fourth and fifth respectively. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas claimed second place, even though he was involved in a crash with fellow countryman Kimi Raikkonen on lap 1. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was the winner of the dramatic race.
2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The 2018 edition of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix lived up to the hype as a chaotic race, with both Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and 2017 winner Daniel Ricciardo crashing into one another, forcing both cars to retire from the race on lap 40. Valtteri Bottas was leading the race from Sebastian Vettel, through a latter's mistake, but was forced to retire with a puncture after the safety car restart, thus meaning that Lewis Hamilton won the race, with Raikkonen and Perez completing the podium.
Lap records[]
Lap record (race/official): Sebastian Vettel-1:43:441 (2017 Azerbaijan Gran Prix)
Lap record (unofficial): Lewis Hamilton-1:40:593 (2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix)