The Baku circuit It rises between the city streets of the capital of Azerbaijan, where from 2016 the single -seater of Formula 1 run. His name means “cities where the wind blows”: here the gusts can exceed 50–70 km/hputting pilots and engineers in difficulty in the search for the right set -up. Baku’s is the second Fastest city circuit in the worldbehind that of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Also, with his 6003 meters It is the second longest track of the entire calendar, second only to the Belgian Spa-FrranCorchamps route. The race on Sunday 21 September at 13:00 will be divided long 51 rpmfor a total of 306,049 km to go. Baku also hosts the straight longer of the whole World Cup: 2.2 km (double compared to that of Monza) to go to completely wide open gas and in this stretch the engine is at full capacity for well 28 seconds Until the detached of curve 1. The highest speed ever recorded on the track is 366 km/h Set by Valtteri Bottas during the 2016 qualifications with Williams.
The ideal configuration to tackle the car for the single -seater provides for a structure from medium-low load aerodynamicit is necessary to resist the advancement to fly to the straight but also of vertical load so as not to lose stability in braking and in traction, leaving the curves. From a mechanical point of view, power unit, Change and brakes are put under stress. Furthermore, the pilots must then pay attention to consumption: in some places they will use the technique of “Lift and Coast “that is, raise the foot slightly from the accelerator before the curves and let the car scroll without curbing, to save fuel. In 2019 Charles Leclerc recorded the record lap in the race with the time of 1’43 ″ 009, at an average speed of about 210 km/h.
The longest straight of the World Cup, very narrow curves and demanding braking: Baku’s characteristics
The Azero circuit, where for about the 73% of time on the tour the accelerator remains completely wide open, it is composed of 20 curvesof which 8 on the right and 12 on the left. The circuit is a unique hybrid of its kind: long straights and fast sections alternate at times slow with very narrow hairpin bends that remember Montecarlo.
Baku imposes a complex compromise: it serves aerodynamic load to exist effectively from the slow curves of the first and second sector, but without making the car vulnerable in the long and very fast final stretch. The asphalt, traveled all year by the city vehicles, offers a lower grip compared to permanent circuits and promotes the phenomenon of graining. The route has two areas DRS – one immediately after curve 2 and the other on the main straight – but the Safety Car can upset the strategy, as shown by its ten apparitions in the eight editions of the GP, for a total of 45 neutralized laps (almost 10% of the total laps since 2016).
The tour starts from the main straight, where the single -seater accelerate at full capacity until the first detached, Curva 1addressed to about 344 km/h. This is one of the most difficult brakes of the whole World Cup, where the drivers exert an effort of 130 kg on the brake pedal, generating a deceleration of 4.4 g and a braking power of 2,428 kW. The curve is a elbow left that reduces speed to approx 109 km/h in just 2.5 seconds and 137 meters. Immediately after, you enter the first DRS area: a short straight that leads to curve 2, a folder fold, faced in sixth gear at about 264 km/h, where the average aerodynamic load helps the stability of the single -seater.
Another short straight that leads to Curva 3, one of the three main points of overtaking follows: here the braking reduces the speed to about 65 km/h, generating a peak of deceleration of 5.2 g. Curve 4 is a quick left of connection, while curve 5 and 6 form a right-left chicane near the Museum Center, where precision and traction are essential not to waste time.
The second sector is the most technical one, characterized by slow and winding curves between the old city. In this stretch the city soul of Baku emerges: curves like 5 and 6, faced with less than 120 km/henhance the mechanical grip of the single -seater. The symbol passage is the Curva 8the “Baku Strait”: just 7.6 meters widewho force the pilots to touch the walls millimetrically. Curva 7 is a hairpin bend to the right to go to the second gear at about 60 km/h, where the mechanical grip becomes crucial. The curves follow 8-11a sequence of them narrow that winds through the palaces and historic walls: the pilots travel between 60 and 150 km/h, with minimal margins of error. Curve 12 and 13, one left and one right traveled respectively in the seventh and sixth gear around 280 km/h, where the aeromechanical adherence is fundamental, here it is not uncommon to see the single -seater “scratching” the walls. Curve 14 and 15, faced downhill, prepare the output on the final straight.
The last sector is a mixture of medium and straight curves to be exploited in full. Curva 16 is a wide left to be covered in sixth to approx 253 km/hwhich introduces the final section of the city. Curva 17 and 18 require precision and continuity in acceleration, while curve 19 reduces speed to approx 160 km/h To enter the last corner 20, a slightly inclined left that leads to the main straight of over 2 km, where pilots can reactivate the DRS mobile wing and push the engine at full power.
Baku is extremely demanding for brakes And change: each lap foresees 12 detachedwith peaks over 100 kg on the pedal in eight points. In total, the pilots pass about the 20% of the ride time with the foot on the brake pedal. The gearbox is also very stressed, about 3,800 They are changed during the race, with the most used marches that are the second and sixth.
The strategies to be adopted in Baku between the degradation of the tires, softer and pit-stop mixes
The Baku track is a very special test bench for tires. The most particular section is the main straight: here the front tires can also cool down to 40 ° Cgoing from 100 to 60 degrees. Result? At the detached of curve 1 the risk is that of block the wheelsthat is, to make her stop turning while the car slips on the asphalt. In these cases, the rubber flattens in one point – what is called in jargon “Flat spot” – creating very strong vibrations behind the wheel and making performance much worse. Sometimes one mistake can force the pilot to change the tires immediately.
For the Baku 2025 Pirelli Grand Prix, he decided to bring the softer triad in the range: C6 as Soft, C5 as a medium and C4 as hard. It is a more aggressive choice than last year, when the hardest mixes had pushed almost all the teams to the strategy to one stop. With this change, however, the option of the two stops also returns to the game, making the race more open on the tactical surface. Last year, in fact, almost everyone had focused on a single stop: Pierre Gasly of the alpine managed to cover even 50 rpm with the hardstopping at the penultimate passage only to mount the soft.
In addition, a novelty not to be underestimated for this year’s race is that of Pirelli who has decided to slightly raise the minimum pressures of the tiresespecially at the front. It is a way to protect the tires from strong loads that develop on Baku’s long straights and to reduce the risk of structural damage. In practice, with a higher internal pressure, the rubber is more rigid and therefore less subject to deform under stress. On the other hand, however, the mechanical gripand this makes management in the slower curves even more delicate. To complicate the painting, the buildings of the capital Azera, which create sudden shadow areas and modify the temperature of the asphalt, in addition to Wind of the Caspian Seacapable of cooling the tires or pushing the single -seater laterally to the fastest points.
As for the strategy in the pits, in Baku the average time for a pit stop is approximately 22-24 secondsamong the highest calendar. The reason is given by the very long pit lane, approximately 400 meters. In other words, each stop in the pits weighs much more than other circuits, and the teams are therefore driven to minimize the number of stops. The most likely strategy remains One stop (Hard + Medium), but with the new mixes it is not to be excluded that someone attempts one double stop To push more.
The Baku Circuit read through the numbers: statistics and record of the Azero track
The Baku circuit also holds an unusual record: it is the lower route of the entire Formula 1 calendar, located at approximately 28 meters under the sea level. In addition to this geographical record, the Azero circuit wrote important pages of the history of the F1 although it has hosted only 8 editions so far (with the exception of 2020 when it does not run due to pandemic). Here are the most important numbers to know:
- Pilots with multiple victories: only a pilot managed to do an encore to Baku and is Sergio Perez Having triumphed in 2021 and 2023, behind him Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri with 1 victory each.
- More winning stables: in this ranking it excels the Red Bull with 4 wins, Mercedes (3) e McLaren (1).
- Pole position: the real king of Baku is Charles Leclerc With 4 pole positions obtained, followed by Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas with 1 pole each.
- Pilots with multiple podiums conquered: Here too we find Sergio Perez on top with 5 podiums obtained, followed by Sebastian Vettel (3), Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, George Russell, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (2).
- Pilots with multiple laps in the race: Lewis Hamilton (408), Valtteri Bottas (402), Sergio Perez (394), Max Verstappen (351).
- Record lap in the race: 1’43 ″ 009, established by Charles Leclerc In 2019
- Record round in qualifying: 1’40 ″ 495, marked by Valtteri Bottas In 2019
Finally, the case of the Monegasque pilot is curious Charles Leclerc who has caught well well 4 consecutive pole positions (2021-2024), but without ever being able to hit the victory.
