Formula 1 moves along to Baku for round 17 — the eighth race in Azerbaijan\u2019s capital city.<\/p>\n
Championship leader Oscar Piastri won here last year, but it\u2019s Charles Leclerc who is the qualifying king of the castle circuit, with four previous pole positions. However, he has not yet converted it into a race victory.<\/p>\n
Plus, can McLaren wrap up the constructors\u2019 championship on Sunday?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s coming up this weekend…<\/p>\n
Weather forecast – mixed<\/p>\n
Friday is set to be hot and sunny with peak temperatures of 25\u00b0C (77\u00b0F). Cloud comes in on Saturday and Sunday bringing with it slightly cooler temperatures of 20-21\u00b0C (68-69\u00b0F).<\/p>\n
The wind speed also picks up slightly on Sunday with forecasted speeds of around 18 mph in Baku.<\/p>\n
Latest news<\/p>\n
Adrian Newey is a \u201cbargain\u201d at \u00a320-30 million<\/a> according to Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll.<\/p>\n Oliver Bearman will make his Haas debut early as Kevin Magnussen\u2019s replacement<\/a> at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.<\/p>\n Alpine and Honda have been found in procedural breach<\/a> of F1 cost cap.<\/p>\n The governing FIA has confirmed all 2024 front wings are legal<\/a> after Red Bull and Ferrari raised concerns about the designs of McLaren and Mercedes\u2019 cars.<\/p>\n Circuit stats and history<\/p>\n 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\u2019s charming old town.<\/p>\n When the circuit first joined the race calendar in 2016, race organisers tarmacked over cobbled streets with the intention of lifting the temporary asphalt each year, but ultimately decided to leave the track surface in place.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Laps: 51 laps of 6km. Total distance 306km<\/p>\n Lap record: 1:43.009, Charles Leclerc (2019)<\/p>\n Most wins: Sergio P\u00e9rez (2021, 2023). Daniel Ricciardo (2017), Lewis Hamilton (2018), Valtteri Bottas (2019), and Verstappen (2022) have also won here.<\/p>\n Most poles: Leclerc with three consecutive (2021-2023). Bottas (2019), Sebastian Vettel (2018), and Hamilton (2017) have been on pole here.<\/p>\n What happened last year?<\/p>\n Baku hosted a sprint weekend in 2023, with Leclerc taking pole position for both the shortened-race and the full-length grand prix. Despite the impressive pace of the Ferrari over a single lap, Red Bull had a significant advantage in the races and P\u00e9rez took victory in the sprint as Verstappen made contact on lap one with George Russell. P\u00e9rez won the grand prix as well<\/a>, with help from a well-timed safety car on Lap 10.<\/p>\n The 2023 event didn\u2019t showcase the best of what Baku can offer, but a moment of mandatory chaos played out on the final lap when Esteban Ocon entered the pits for a late tyre change only to find it full of photographers jostling for the best place to shoot the podium.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s going to win?<\/p>\n With Red Bull\u2019s performance continuing to wane, last year\u2019s double victory is no guarantee of how Sunday\u2019s grand prix will play out.<\/p>\n