Formula 1 on the streets of Baku for the 10th time: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts today
The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which Baku is hosting for the 10th time, starts today.
The racing weekend will begin at 10:45 with the Formula 2 free practice. The first Formula 1 free practice will start at 12:30.
Then two Formula 2 qualifying sessions will take place. The first race day will end with the second Formula 1 free practice.
On September 25, Formula 1 free practice sessions will be held, as well as the Formula 2 sprint race. Finally, on the last day — September 26 — the main race will take place.
Twenty drivers from 10 teams will compete for the championship, and the length of the race track is 6 kilometers. The world's most famous drivers — Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and others — will perform on the Baku City Circuit (BCC).
The Baku track, considered one of the longest on the Formula 1 calendar, has 20 turns. Starting from Azadlig Square, the track passes around the Government House, then, skirting Icherisheher, makes a 2.2-kilometer loop to Gyz Galasy and ends at the starting point, coming out onto Neftchilar Avenue. The width of the track, which consists of 51 laps, is 13 meters at its widest point, and 7.6 meters at its narrowest — on the sections of the track around Icherisheher, including the 7th and 8th turns. The counterclockwise track was designed by the famous German architect Hermann Tilke.
During the race, the drivers and millions of television viewers will see a stunning picture combining Icherisheher, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the capital's modern architectural monuments and the Caspian coastal zone.
The start and finish lines of the race are located on Azadlig Square. The Paddock Club, the team garages and the pit lane are also set up here.
This year, a new grandstand called City has been installed at the BCC; it is located opposite the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theater and has a capacity of 678 spectators. With the commissioning of the new grandstand, the total capacity of the grandstands at the BCC has exceeded 21,000 people.
Let us recall that Azerbaijan has been hosting the world's most prestigious motorsport competition since 2016. The first Formula 1 race organized in our country was called the European Grand Prix. It was won by the German Nico Rosberg. In subsequent years, Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain), Valtteri Bottas (Finland), Sergio Perez (Mexico), Max Verstappen (the Netherlands) and Oscar Piastri (Australia) respectively climbed to the top of the podium. Only in 2020 did the Azerbaijan Grand Prix not take place, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: AZERTAC
