Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026

Baku City Circuit hosts the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, starting beside Azadliq Square near the seafront boulevard on the Caspian Sea. Designed by Hermann Tilke, it first staged Formula 1 in 2016 as the European Grand Prix, before the race became the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017. At 6.003 km, it is one of the longest laps on the calendar.

The lap contrasts wide, fast boulevards with tight, walled corners. After looping past Government House, the track squeezes through a narrow uphill section just 7.6 metres wide beside the medieval Old City walls, then opens onto a 2.2 km flat-out run along Neftchilar Avenue back to the line. Set-ups are a compromise between cornering grip in the tight sections and straight-line speed.

• First hosted Formula 1 as the 2016 European Grand Prix.
• Its narrowest section, beside the Old City, is just 7.6 metres wide.
• A 2.2 km flat-out stretch along Neftchilar Avenue ends the lap.

What to watch for: Slipstreaming down the long seafront straight sets up overtakes into Turn 1, while unforgiving walls make Safety Car periods a constant threat.