Baku is where the season’s most sensible plans go to die. The circuit runs through the centre of the Azerbaijani capital along the Caspian seafront, past a medieval walled city and down a straight so long that cars spend more than 20 seconds at full throttle, and it has produced almost every kind of race except a boring one since it joined the calendar in 2016. For the 2026 championship it arrives at round 15, with Kimi Antonelli holding a big lead and every rival hoping for exactly the kind of afternoon Baku specialises in.

The layout

At 6.003km, the Baku City Circuit is the second-longest lap in Formula 1, behind only Spa, and its 20 corners are almost all 90-degree turns between concrete walls. The lap has two personalities. From turn 16 to turn 1 is the main straight, around 2.2km including the kinks, where the cars reach their highest speeds of the year and a car in the slipstream can close a second in a single sector. Then comes the old town. Turns 8 to 12 wind uphill past the castle walls through a section that narrows to 7.6 metres, barely wider than a car with its mirrors. Drivers describe the two halves as belonging to different circuits, and a set-up that works on one compromises the other.

The races that made its reputation

The 2017 race is still the reference point: Sebastian Vettel drove into Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car, Hamilton’s headrest came loose, and Daniel Ricciardo won from tenth on the grid. In 2018 the two Red Bulls collided while fighting for fourth and Valtteri Bottas lost a certain win to a puncture from debris with three laps left. Sergio Perez won twice, in 2021 after Max Verstappen’s tyre exploded on the straight while leading, and again in 2023. The pattern is consistent. Long safety car periods bunch the field, restarts on the longest straight in the sport produce wheel-to-wheel racing into turn 1, and the walls collect anyone who gets it wrong.

Why 2026 could be wilder

The 2026 cars add a layer Baku has never had. The main straight is long enough that cars will run their batteries down before the braking zone, the “low-battery racing” that shaped Monza, so Overtake Mode attacks need to be timed for the part of the straight where the defending car has already gone flat. The castle section, meanwhile, is where energy is harvested rather than spent, and drivers who lift early there to fill the battery will have more to deploy on the run to turn 1. Expect the Mercedes engine advantage, which we explained in why Mercedes is so fast, to be at its most visible anywhere this season.

Tyres and strategy

Baku is easy on tyres because there are few high-speed corners, which normally makes it a one-stop race. That is exactly why the safety car matters so much here. A neutralisation can hand a free pit stop to whoever has not yet stopped and ruin the afternoon of whoever has, and teams routinely delay their stops at Baku to keep that option open. Our strategy guide covers the safety car gamble in detail. The other Baku speciality is the brake: after 2.2km at full throttle, the stop into turn 1 is the heaviest of the year and a locked front wheel there means a trip down the escape road.

What to watch

Antonelli needs an uneventful weekend and Baku does not do those. George Russell and the Ferraris need chaos and will get some. Watch the restarts, watch turn 15 into the old town where drivers have hit the wall on their out-laps, and watch the timing at turn 1 on lap one, where 22 cars arriving at 340km/h into a 90-degree left has not once in ten years gone entirely to plan. The race starts at 12pm UK time on Saturday 26 September, and our UK viewing guide covers where to see it.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Baku City Circuit?

6.003km with 20 corners and a main straight of around 2.2km, the longest full-throttle section in F1.

Why is the race so chaotic?

A very long straight, tight walled corners and a 7.6-metre-wide castle section produce safety cars and unpredictable results almost every year.

When is the 2026 race?

Saturday 26 September 2026 at 12pm UK time.

Has an outsider ever won?

Ricciardo won from tenth in 2017 and Perez won in 2021 and 2023. Stroll took a Racing Point podium in 2020.