Azerbaijan Grand Prix: session times, weather forecast and support series info

One of the more recent additions to the F1 calendar, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to return this weekend.

Formula 1’s fastest street race, the event was missing from the 2020 calendar owing to pandemic-related changes. But as a race that has consistently delivered track action and unpredictable Grands Prix, fans and drivers alike are looking forward to the race.

While fans were back in the stands in Monaco, local restrictions mean there will be no fans in grandstands at Baku. But nevertheless, we’re on hand to get you Race Ready with everything you need to know about the race weekend.

To make sure you’re on top of all the action, including circuit maps, session times, support series, weather forecast and the latest news from the weekend, check out this guide with all the information you’ll need.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix race preview

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix Circuit

Baku City Circuit

At 3.7 miles, the Baku City circuit is the second-longest track in Formula 1 – only Spa-Francorchamps is longer. However, it will be overtaken by the Jeddah Street Circuit in Saudi Arabia later this year.

There are 51 laps during the race, which takes in 12 corners to the left, and 8 to the right. There are two DRS zones including one along the longest straight in Formula 1 – the pit straight measures 2.2km. That’s a whopping 37% of the lap. That makes turn one a mega overtaking opportunity – just ask Daniel Ricciardo about 2017 when he over took three cars in one move on his way to victory. (Just don’t ask him about 2018, when he crashed into his teammate Max Verstappen there.)

One place there certainly won’t be any overtaking is turns 8 – 12. The cars slow right down to navigate the narrowest section in Formula 1 at just 7m wide as they pass through the Palace of the Shirvanshahs. A Formula One car is only two-meters wide, so the drivers have to be on the edge to get through safely. Push too hard, and you’ll end up like Charles Leclerc in 2019, when he crashed in Q2.

Take a look at this virtual on-board lap courtesy of Motorsport.tv to get a feeling for the race.

What happened at the last Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019

There was an unusual start to the weekend in Azerbaijan. George Russell’s Williams car was damaged when it ran over a loose drain cover during a Friday practice session. It was a bizarre incident, and Williams’ problems were compounded when Robert Kubica crashed in qualifying.

But he wasn’t alone. One of the favourites for the win joined him when he crashed into the barriers at the tight turn eight in Q2. His radio call – “I am stupid” – said it all. But it set the Monegasque up for a storming drive to 5th during the race.

Despite Baku’s reputation for delivering drama-filled races, the 2019 Grand Prix was relatively hassle-free. Valtteri Bottas led from pole and dominated a faultless race to take his 5th career win. That put him at the top of the drivers’ standings – he has only led the championship for two races since; the opening two rounds of the 2020 season in Austria.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix session times

Azerbaijan is four hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and Azerbaijan Standard Time (AZT) is the same as United Arab Emirates Standard Time. The race will begin at 1pm British Standard Time, and as late as 4pm local time.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix weather report

According to AccuWeather, there should be little surprise for the teams racing in Baku this weekend. June generally sees only one wet day, and the teams and drivers can expect clear skies all weekend. There will be high air temperatures on Friday and Saturday, dipping slightly for the race on Sunday, but temperatures should remain in the mid-twenties.

The city is forecast to be hit by strong winds on race day, with gusts reaching up to 48km/h. But the track is mostly protected by the buildings and architecture of the city, to unlikely to affect the racing on track.

Race support at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

There will be one support series in action during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. F2 will return for its third round of the season, following races in Bahrain and Monaco. It will be the fifth time F2 has raced at Baku, as GP2 supported the 2016 European Grand Prix.

Formula 2

Six races in two round have delivered some electrifying racing in this year’s F2 season. Guanyu Zhou has taken two wins so far and leads the championship, but believes he should have scored even more points in Monaco. A poor strategy during the second sprint race led to a pointless finish for the Chinese driver. He leads the championship ahead of second-placed Oscar Piastri and third-placed Theo Pourchaire. Both drivers are having stellar seasons, with both making the step up to F2 full-time this year.

There are some interesting personnel changes for this round. After ambitiously entering both F2 and F3, then withdrawing from F2 before the Monaco race, Matteo Nannini will replace Gianluca Petecof at Campos for round three. Jack Aitken returns in Nannini’s original seat at HWA Racelab for the second of his two-race stint.

How to stay up to date at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is one of the busiest of the year, but fear not, Motorsport Network has you covered. You can keep up-to-date across all the breaking news by following Motorsport.com throughout the race weekend.

Or get a round-up of the latest headlines from Baku and beyond with Motorsport.tv LIVE‘s latest bulletins. Head to their channel on Motorsport.tv for the latest news, interviews and reaction from the paddock. Check out their latest report on flexi-wings, and how they will be at the centre of the paddock chatter in Baku.

And after both qualifying and the race, Autosport‘s top brass will join host Ariana Bravo to review all the top talking points. Check out the latest episode of the Autosport Podcast below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.