AzerbaijanGrand Prix

This week we return to a street circuit, as we welcome back the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Hosted much later in the season than we normally see, this track is located in the heart of Baku and provides plenty of challenges and excitement over a lap. Designed by Hermann Tilke, the circuit debuted as the European Grand Prix in 2016 and has seen Mercedes win here on three occasions.

The fourth-longest circuit on the calendar, a lap of this 6.003km track provides some incredible top speeds, a very long straight but also a tight and twisty section with walls only a few inches away. It’s a place that punishes mistakes, and has seen lots of drama over the years with an 86% chance of a Safety Car – something we’ve not seen this season since Canada in June!

Setting up the car around Baku can be a challenge, with the circuit being generally low downforce as a result of the long start-finish straight which is an excellent overtaking opportunity. You can even see three cars going into the first corner at times! However, later on in the lap it can get very narrow and twisty around the castle section, which is the opposite for downforce levels.

Our Successes

The Silver Arrows have won in Baku three times, have a trio of pole positions here and six podiums. We have also helped power 10 top-three finishes around this 6km circuit, the most of any engine supplier.

Our first taste of victory in Baku came in 2016, when this race was known as the European Grand Prix. It was the first time an event had been given that title since Valencia four years prior, and it was our very own Nico Rosberg who stormed to the win. It was his fifth first-place finish of the season – he would go on to win the Drivers’ World Championship later that year – and he dominated the race. He led every lap from pole, and secured the fastest lap of the race, to give Nico his second-ever Grand Slam in Formula 1.

Our next win came two years later, when Lewis managed to steer clear of the chaos unfolding around him to seal victory. Team-mate Valtteri Bottas was leading with just a handful of laps to go, with Lewis behind in second, but in heart-breaking scenes suffered a puncture through no fault of his own with three laps left and would have to retire. Lewis was able to inherit the win, but credited the Finn on his “exceptional job” after the chequered flag.

However, Valtteri was able to come back and avenge his lost win from the year before, doing a stunning job at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix to convert pole into the victory. Lewis joined him on the podium, and gave us our fourth one-two result in succession.

Last year, George Russell also managed the fastest lap of the race with a lap time of 1m43.370s and an average speed of 209kph (130mph).