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Formula 1: Looking back at the last (and first) two Baku races

By Kevin Nguyen

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit on June 25, 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 25: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit on June 25, 2017 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Being Formula 1’s newest venue, the Baku City Circuit and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had plenty to show in year #2. What will year #3 bring?

When Azerbaijan was added to the 2016 Formula 1 calendar as the European Grand Prix, fans were skeptical of the name and also the Baku City Circuit. The 6.003-kilometer (3.73-mile) street circuit was designed to run through narrow medieval streets at high speeds.

In fact, Baku in 2016 was the fastest track that F1 visited, even in a schedule that included speed staples such as the Autodromo Nazionale Monza and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Being the newest venue on the F1 calendar, it’s difficult to pinpoint the track’s legacy. However, given the fact that F1’s new owners Liberty Media want to expand, it might not be the newest venue for long. In the meantime, refresh your memory of the last (and first) two races as we head to Baku for year #3.

2016

Nico Rosberg started on pole and won the inaugural European Grand Prix in Baku without dropping the lead and taking the fastest lap for his second Grand Chelem of the season after his first came in Russia.

His teammate and closest rival Lewis Hamilton struggled through the race with a number of issues, but he recovered from 10th place to finish in 5th. Rosberg’s dominance of Baku’s streets extended the German’s points lead in the championship. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took 2nd while Force India’s Sergio Perez drove impressively to finish on the podium in 3rd. No safety cars were deployed.

2017

For 2017, organizers changed the name from the European Grand Prix to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to better reflect the culture and surrounding area, but the Baku City Circuit remained. The 2017 race will be remembered for Sebastian Vettel’s unsporting and dangerous driving when he intentionally hit the side of Lewis Hamilton’s car, earning him a 10-second time penalty.

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The first Azerbaijan Grand Prix will also be remembered as the race where Hamilton’s headrest cost him the win. The headrest came loose on lap 30, forcing him to pit to resecure it in order to avoid a black flag for disqualification.

But overall, the 2017 race was a nice mixture of strategy, skill, and luck — as in lucky not to retire, as seven cars were forced to retire throughout the race, with many of those retirements coming due to mechanical issues from the conditions. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo employed all three for the win. After starting the race in 10th place, the Australian used the safety car period and the incident between Hamilton and Vettel to his advantage.

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As a result, the 2017 Baku podium was one of the most mixed up in recent memory with the winner coming from 10th place, while Lance Stroll snuck into 3rd after starting in 8th. Will we get something similar in 2018?

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