Baku F1 Records & Statistics

Baku F1 records and Azerbaijan Grand Prix statistics

Baku City Circuit has become one of Formula 1’s most distinctive modern street venues, combining some of the narrowest corners on the calendar with an exceptionally long flat-out section through the centre of Azerbaijan’s capital. Since Formula 1 first raced in Baku in 2016, the circuit has produced unpredictable winners, major championship incidents, dramatic late-race restarts and an unusual Ferrari record built around exceptional qualifying speed rather than victories.

Ferrari has never won a Formula 1 Grand Prix at Baku, yet the Scuderia holds the circuit’s constructor pole-position record. Charles Leclerc took four consecutive Azerbaijan Grand Prix poles from 2021 through 2024, set the official race-lap record in 2019 and established the fastest qualifying benchmark in 2023. That contrast between Ferrari’s one-lap dominance and its absence from the winners list is one of the defining features of Baku’s Formula 1 history.

Formula 1 first raced in Baku in 2016

Baku City Circuit joined the Formula 1 World Championship in 2016, but the inaugural race was not called the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Instead, Baku hosted the European Grand Prix on 19 June 2016. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix title was introduced for Formula 1’s second visit in 2017 and has been used for every subsequent World Championship race at the venue.

This means Baku’s complete Formula 1 circuit history includes both the 2016 European Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grands Prix that followed.

Baku hosted nine Formula 1 Grands Prix through 2025

Formula 1 raced at Baku in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 before the 2020 event was absent from the championship calendar.

The circuit returned in 2021 and then hosted races every season through 2025, bringing its total to nine completed Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix.

Eight of those events carried the Azerbaijan Grand Prix title, while the inaugural 2016 race was officially the European Grand Prix.

Nico Rosberg won Formula 1’s first race in Baku

Nico Rosberg dominated the inaugural Formula 1 race at Baku in 2016 for Mercedes.

Rosberg started from pole position with a 1:42.758 and controlled the 51-lap European Grand Prix to win by 16.696 seconds.

Sebastian Vettel finished second for Ferrari, while Sergio Perez completed the podium.

Kimi Räikkönen finished fourth in the second Ferrari, giving the Scuderia two cars inside the top four during Formula 1’s first visit to Azerbaijan.

Sebastian Vettel gave Ferrari a podium on Baku’s Formula 1 debut

Ferrari immediately demonstrated competitive pace at the new street circuit in 2016.

Sebastian Vettel qualified third before finishing second behind Nico Rosberg. Kimi Räikkönen started fourth and finished fourth despite receiving a five-second time penalty.

Vettel’s runner-up result became the first of several Ferrari podium finishes in Baku, although the Scuderia would repeatedly fall short of converting its speed into a victory.

The first Azerbaijan Grand Prix produced chaos in 2017

The first race carrying the Azerbaijan Grand Prix title took place in 2017 and established Baku’s reputation for unpredictable Formula 1 races.

Multiple incidents, Safety Car periods and a red flag disrupted the Grand Prix, while championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel became involved in a controversial clash behind the Safety Car.

The unusual sequence of events opened the door for Daniel Ricciardo to claim victory for Red Bull despite having started only tenth.

Daniel Ricciardo won the dramatic 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo emerged from the disorder to take Red Bull’s first Formula 1 victory at Baku.

Valtteri Bottas finished second for Mercedes after passing Lance Stroll almost on the finish line, while the Williams rookie held third to record the first podium of his Formula 1 career.

Sebastian Vettel finished fourth for Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton fifth after both lost opportunities during the eventful race.

Sebastian Vettel took Ferrari’s first Baku pole in 2018

Ferrari began to establish its remarkable Baku qualifying record during the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.

Sebastian Vettel secured pole position with a 1:41.498, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.179 seconds.

Kimi Räikkönen qualified sixth in the second Ferrari after a mistake on his decisive Q3 lap.

Vettel’s pole was Ferrari’s first at Baku and the beginning of a sequence that would eventually make the Scuderia the circuit’s most successful qualifying constructor.

Ferrari lost a major victory opportunity in Baku in 2018

Vettel controlled the early stages of the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix before Valtteri Bottas gained the strategic advantage by extending his opening stint.

A late Safety Car placed Vettel directly behind Bottas for the restart. The Ferrari driver attempted an aggressive move into Turn 1 but locked his tyres heavily and dropped several positions.

Bottas then suffered a puncture shortly afterwards, allowing Lewis Hamilton to inherit the victory.

Kimi Räikkönen finished second for Ferrari, while Vettel recovered to fourth.

Kimi Räikkönen scored Ferrari’s second Baku podium

Räikkönen’s second place in 2018 remains one of Ferrari’s strongest race results at Baku.

The Finn finished 2.460 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton and ahead of Sergio Perez.

Although Ferrari had started the race from pole through Sebastian Vettel, it was Räikkönen who ultimately preserved a podium finish for the team after the chaotic closing stages.

Ferrari looked exceptionally fast at Baku in 2019

Ferrari appeared to have the performance required to challenge for pole and victory during the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.

Charles Leclerc was particularly competitive during practice and the early qualifying phases, but his challenge ended when he crashed his Ferrari into the barriers at the Castle section during Q2.

Sebastian Vettel continued into Q3 and qualified third, behind the two Mercedes drivers.

Valtteri Bottas set a 1:40.495 pole lap in 2019

Valtteri Bottas secured pole position for the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a 1:40.495.

Lewis Hamilton was only 0.059 seconds slower, while Sebastian Vettel qualified third for Ferrari with a 1:40.797.

Bottas’s benchmark became the fastest Baku qualifying lap at the time, although Charles Leclerc would eventually lower the record for Ferrari in 2023.

Charles Leclerc set the official Baku race lap record in 2019

Leclerc recovered from his qualifying accident to finish fifth in the 2019 Grand Prix and recorded the fastest lap late in the race.

The Ferrari driver set a 1:43.009 on lap 50, averaging almost 210 km/h around the 6.003 km street circuit.

That time remains the official Formula 1 race-lap record at Baku through the 2025 season.

It is one of the most important records held by Ferrari at the circuit.

Ferrari owns Baku’s official Formula 1 race-lap record

Charles Leclerc’s 1:43.009 from 2019 has survived every subsequent Azerbaijan Grand Prix through 2025.

Max Verstappen came closest among the most recent races with a 1:43.388 during his dominant 2025 victory, but remained 0.379 seconds slower than Leclerc’s Ferrari benchmark.

Formula 1 continues to list the 2019 lap as the official Baku City Circuit race record.

Charles Leclerc began his Baku pole streak in 2021

Formula 1 returned to Baku in 2021 after the circuit’s absence from the 2020 championship.

Charles Leclerc immediately delivered one of Ferrari’s strongest qualifying performances of the season by taking pole position with a 1:41.218.

Lewis Hamilton qualified second and Max Verstappen third, while Carlos Sainz placed the second Ferrari fifth.

Few could have predicted at the time that Leclerc would repeat the achievement at each of the next three Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends.

Sergio Perez won an extraordinary 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2021 race again demonstrated Baku’s ability to transform in the closing laps.

Max Verstappen had been leading when a tyre failure sent his Red Bull into the barrier on the main straight with only a handful of laps remaining.

The race was stopped and restarted for a short sprint to the finish. Lewis Hamilton briefly challenged Sergio Perez for the lead but locked his brakes into Turn 1 and dropped to the rear.

Perez won for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.

Charles Leclerc could not convert his 2021 pole into a podium

Leclerc led the field away from pole but did not have the race pace to remain at the front.

He eventually finished fourth, only 3.828 seconds behind Sergio Perez after the late restart.

Carlos Sainz finished eighth in the second Ferrari.

The result began a recurring Baku pattern for Leclerc: outstanding qualifying performance without a corresponding Grand Prix victory.

Charles Leclerc took another Ferrari pole in 2022

Leclerc returned to pole position at Baku in 2022 with a 1:41.359.

Sergio Perez qualified second, Max Verstappen third and Carlos Sainz fourth, producing an evenly matched Ferrari-Red Bull fight at the front of the grid.

For Ferrari, however, the race became one of the most damaging reliability setbacks of the season.

Both Ferraris retired from the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Carlos Sainz retired after only eight laps with a technical problem, leaving Charles Leclerc as Ferrari’s remaining victory contender.

Leclerc’s race then ended on lap 21 when his power unit failed while he was running near the front.

Max Verstappen won ahead of Sergio Perez to complete a Red Bull one-two.

Ferrari’s double retirement was particularly painful because the Scuderia had once again demonstrated enough qualifying speed to start from pole.

Charles Leclerc made it three consecutive Baku poles in 2023

Ferrari’s remarkable qualifying sequence continued during the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Leclerc produced a 1:40.203 in Q3 to beat Max Verstappen by 0.188 seconds and Sergio Perez by 0.292 seconds.

It was Leclerc’s third consecutive Azerbaijan Grand Prix pole position and established a new outright Formula 1 qualifying benchmark for the Baku City Circuit.

Charles Leclerc holds the Baku Formula 1 qualifying record

Leclerc’s 1:40.203 from 2023 remains the fastest official Grand Prix qualifying lap recorded at Baku through 2025.

It improved on Valtteri Bottas’s previous 1:40.495 benchmark from 2019.

Ferrari therefore owns both of Baku’s principal Formula 1 lap records: Leclerc’s 1:40.203 qualifying benchmark and his 1:43.009 official race-lap record.

Baku hosted its first Formula 1 Sprint weekend in 2023

The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend also introduced the Sprint format to Baku.

Leclerc again demonstrated Ferrari’s one-lap strength by taking first place in the separate Sprint qualifying session.

Sergio Perez won the Sprint, with Leclerc finishing second.

Sprint results remain statistically separate from the Grand Prix records, so they should not be combined with the circuit’s main pole-position or victory totals.

Sergio Perez became Baku’s first repeat Grand Prix winner in 2023

Perez won the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari after starting from pole, while Carlos Sainz finished fifth.

Having previously won in 2021, Perez became the first driver to win more than one Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit.

Charles Leclerc took a fourth consecutive Baku pole in 2024

Leclerc extended one of the most impressive circuit-specific qualifying records in modern Formula 1 during the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver recorded a 1:41.365 and beat Oscar Piastri by 0.321 seconds.

Carlos Sainz qualified third, placing both Ferraris inside the top three.

The result gave Leclerc four consecutive Baku Grand Prix poles across 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Charles Leclerc holds the Baku driver pole-position record

No Formula 1 driver has taken more Grand Prix poles at Baku than Charles Leclerc.

His four consecutive poles give him a clear lead in the circuit’s driver qualifying statistics.

Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen have each taken one Baku Grand Prix pole.

Leclerc’s four-pole sequence is particularly striking because Ferrari failed to convert any of them into victory.

Ferrari holds the Baku constructor pole-position record

Ferrari has secured five Formula 1 Grand Prix pole positions at Baku.

Sebastian Vettel delivered the first in 2018, before Charles Leclerc added four consecutive poles from 2021 to 2024.

Mercedes has three Baku poles through Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, while Red Bull added its first through Max Verstappen in 2025.

Ferrari therefore remains comfortably ahead in the circuit’s constructor pole standings.

Oscar Piastri denied Charles Leclerc victory in 2024

Leclerc led from pole during the opening phase of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the strategic battle brought Oscar Piastri into close contention.

The McLaren driver attacked Leclerc into Turn 1 after the pit-stop phase and took the lead.

Leclerc remained close for much of the race but could not repass Piastri, eventually finishing 10.910 seconds behind.

The result gave Ferrari another second place at a circuit where victory has repeatedly remained just out of reach.

The 2024 race ended dramatically for Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez

Carlos Sainz was fighting close behind Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez during the final stages of the 2024 Grand Prix.

After Leclerc defended from Perez, Sainz moved ahead of the Red Bull. Perez and Sainz then made contact on the run towards Turn 3 and crashed heavily into the barriers.

Both retired from the race, leaving Leclerc as Ferrari’s only finisher and bringing the Grand Prix to a conclusion under a Virtual Safety Car.

Max Verstappen ended Ferrari’s Baku pole streak in 2025

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix finally ended Ferrari’s run of consecutive Baku poles.

A chaotic qualifying session featured a Formula 1 record six red flags, including an accident for Charles Leclerc in Q3.

Max Verstappen emerged with pole position for Red Bull after setting a 1:41.117, ahead of Carlos Sainz’s Williams and Liam Lawson.

It was Verstappen’s first pole at Baku and Red Bull’s first Grand Prix pole position at the circuit.

Max Verstappen won the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole

Verstappen converted his first Baku pole into a dominant victory.

The Red Bull driver led all 51 laps and finished 14.609 seconds ahead of George Russell.

Carlos Sainz finished third for Williams, while Kimi Antonelli took fourth.

The result gave Verstappen his second Baku victory after his earlier success in 2022.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez share the Baku wins record

Through the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are tied as the most successful Formula 1 drivers at Baku with two Grand Prix victories each.

Perez won in 2021 and 2023, while Verstappen won in 2022 and 2025.

Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Oscar Piastri each have one victory at the venue.

Red Bull holds the Baku constructor wins record

Red Bull has won five of the nine Formula 1 World Championship races held at Baku through 2025.

Daniel Ricciardo delivered the team’s first victory in 2017, followed by Sergio Perez in 2021 and 2023 and Max Verstappen in 2022 and 2025.

Mercedes has three Baku victories through Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

McLaren has one win through Oscar Piastri in 2024, while Ferrari remains absent from the winners list.

Ferrari has never won a Formula 1 Grand Prix at Baku

Ferrari’s lack of a Baku victory is particularly unusual when compared with the team’s qualifying record.

The Scuderia has taken five poles, more than any other constructor, yet none has resulted in a Grand Prix victory.

Ferrari’s best race result is second place, achieved by Sebastian Vettel in 2016, Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 and Charles Leclerc in 2024.

The contrast makes Baku one of the clearest examples in Ferrari’s modern history of strong one-lap performance failing to translate into the circuit’s ultimate prize.

Ferrari has five Formula 1 podium finishes at Baku

Ferrari recorded five individual Grand Prix podium finishes across Baku’s first nine World Championship races.

Sebastian Vettel finished second in 2016 and third in 2019. Kimi Räikkönen finished second in 2018, while Charles Leclerc took third in 2023 and second in 2024.

Despite those podiums and five pole positions, Ferrari remains without a Grand Prix victory at the circuit.

Ferrari’s 2025 Baku weekend ended with eighth and ninth

The 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix proved far more difficult for Ferrari than the qualifying-dominated weekends of the previous four years.

Lewis Hamilton finished eighth in his first Baku Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver, 36.310 seconds behind Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc followed in ninth, only 0.464 seconds behind his teammate.

The result gave Ferrari both cars in the points but no podium, while Leclerc’s four-year pole streak had already ended after his Q3 accident.

Ferrari owns both major Baku lap records

Although Ferrari has never won at Baku, the Scuderia owns the circuit’s two most important outright Formula 1 lap benchmarks.

Charles Leclerc holds the qualifying record with his 1:40.203 from 2023.

He also holds the official Grand Prix race-lap record with the 1:43.009 set in 2019.

No driver from Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren or another constructor had beaten either benchmark by the end of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Baku qualifying record versus official race lap record

Qualifying and race-lap records represent different types of Formula 1 performance and should be kept separate statistically.

Charles Leclerc’s 1:40.203 was achieved in qualifying in 2023 with the Ferrari prepared for maximum single-lap performance.

His 1:43.009 race record came four years earlier during the 2019 Grand Prix, when fuel load, tyre life, traffic and race strategy all affected lap times.

The remarkable detail is that the same Ferrari driver holds both records.

Baku City Circuit measures 6.003 km

F1DB records Baku City Circuit at 6.003 km with 20 turns, running anti-clockwise.

A Formula 1 Grand Prix normally covers 51 laps, producing a race distance of 306.049 km.

The circuit combines very slow street-circuit corners with one of the longest full-throttle sections in Formula 1, creating an unusually difficult aerodynamic compromise between downforce and straight-line speed.

Baku combines the Old City with extreme straight-line speed

The middle section of the lap takes Formula 1 cars directly alongside Baku’s historic Old City walls.

Turns 8 and 9 form the famous Castle section, where the circuit narrows to approximately 7.6 metres.

The cars then descend through the later part of the lap before accelerating onto Baku’s enormous flat-out final section.

This combination of extremely narrow corners and very high speeds gives the venue a character unlike any other Formula 1 street circuit.

Baku has a 2.2 km flat-out section

From the exit of Turn 16 towards the braking zone for Turn 1, Formula 1 drivers spend approximately 2.2 km at full throttle.

Turns 18 and 19 are taken at very high speed and effectively form part of the acceleration sequence onto the main straight.

The resulting top speeds make aerodynamic efficiency particularly valuable and create a powerful slipstream effect between cars.

Turn 1 is one of Baku’s main overtaking opportunities

The enormous run to Turn 1 allows drivers to attack under braking after benefiting from a tow and, where available, DRS.

The corner is a tight 90-degree left-hander with substantial braking demand, making it one of the circuit’s principal overtaking locations.

It has also played a decisive role in several Baku races, including late restarts and strategic battles for track position.

The Castle section is Baku’s narrowest point

The sequence around Turns 8 and 9 is the visual signature of the Baku City Circuit.

At its narrowest point, the racing surface measures only around 7.6 metres across as the cars pass beside the walls of Baku’s historic Old City.

There is virtually no margin for error, and incidents in this area have repeatedly interrupted practice and qualifying sessions.

Baku creates an unusual aerodynamic compromise

Teams need enough downforce to give drivers confidence through Baku’s numerous slow corners, yet excessive drag is heavily punished on the extraordinary flat-out run towards Turn 1.

A low-downforce configuration can improve straight-line speed but make the car more difficult to control through the technical Old City section.

The best Baku set-up therefore requires a compromise between mechanical grip, braking stability, traction and aerodynamic efficiency.

One Formula 1 layout at Baku

F1DB associates Baku’s entire Formula 1 World Championship history with one 6.003 km, 20-turn layout.

The 2016 European Grand Prix and every subsequent Azerbaijan Grand Prix therefore belong to the same recorded circuit configuration.

This allows records such as Charles Leclerc’s qualifying and race benchmarks to be compared directly across the venue’s Formula 1 history.

Ferrari’s Formula 1 record at Baku

Ferrari’s Baku record is one of the most unusual in the Scuderia’s modern Formula 1 history.

The team has never won at the circuit, yet it holds five Grand Prix pole positions and five individual podium finishes. Sebastian Vettel took Ferrari’s first Baku pole in 2018 before Charles Leclerc produced four consecutive poles from 2021 through 2024.

Leclerc also owns both major lap records: the 1:40.203 qualifying benchmark from 2023 and the official 1:43.009 race record from 2019.

Ferrari’s best Grand Prix result remains second place, achieved by Vettel in 2016, Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 and Leclerc in 2024.

For ScuderiaFans, Baku therefore represents a particularly revealing statistical story: Ferrari has repeatedly demonstrated exceptional raw speed on the streets of Azerbaijan without ever converting it into a Formula 1 Grand Prix victory.

Baku records versus Azerbaijan Grand Prix records

The distinction between the circuit and Grand Prix title matters when reviewing Baku statistics.

The circuit hosted its first Formula 1 World Championship race in 2016 under the European Grand Prix title. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix began in 2017.

As a result, circuit records such as overall Baku wins and podiums should include the 2016 race, while statistics specifically labelled Azerbaijan Grand Prix records begin with the 2017 event.

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is still to come

The next Formula 1 race at Baku City Circuit is scheduled for September 2026.

Until that Grand Prix has been completed, the historical records on this page are based on World Championship events through 2025.

That means Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez currently share the Baku driver wins record, Charles Leclerc holds the pole-position record and Ferrari continues to own both major lap benchmarks without having won a Grand Prix at the circuit.

Explore more Formula 1 circuit records

Use the F1 Circuit Records & Statistics database to compare Baku with other current and historic Formula 1 venues. You can also browse the Formula 1 circuits section for broader Grand Prix history, track guides and circuit information.