Moments
Six episodes that make the paddock call Baku the track where nothing ends according to plan.
What has happened here
Behind the safety car Sebastian Vettel drew alongside Lewis Hamilton and struck him with a wheel. Both continued, but that episode turned the Baku Grand Prix into the headline of the season.
Lance Stroll took a podium — the first Canadian since Jacques Villeneuve in 2001 and the second-youngest podium finisher in Formula 1 history. Williams waited until 2021 for their next one.
Valtteri Bottas was leading and close to victory when he picked up debris and punctured a tyre. Hamilton took the win, while Red Bull lost both cars when Ricciardo and Verstappen collided with each other.
Five laps from the end the leading Max Verstappen suffered a rear tyre blowout at full speed. The race was stopped; Pirelli opened an investigation into the tyre failures.
At the two-lap restart Lewis Hamilton made a mistake at the first corner and finished out of the points. Sergio Pérez won, and Sebastian Vettel came second — the last podium of his career.
Oscar Piastri beat Leclerc and gave McLaren a victory after which the team led the Constructors' Championship for the first time in 55 rounds. 86 million people watched the race.
The statistics confirm the feeling
Of nine races in Baku only three were won from pole. The safety car appears here almost every year: the narrow sections and the walls turn a small mistake into debris on the track.
Hence the reputation: the Azerbaijan Grand Prix regularly appears in lists of the season's most unpredictable races, and its closing laps often decide the championship.
Baku.ws news
The feed of the news portal
EconomyAzerbaijani oil has become cheaper909080808010:09
WorldThe number of drones shot down on approach to Moscow has risen to 103, three people injured10:00
PoliticsDeputy: Statements by Russian officials directed at Azerbaijan entail legal liability23:57
WorldTrump doubts Iran's readiness to sign a deal with the US23:56Headlines and photographs come from baku.ws; the feed was updated on 18 August 2026. The links lead to the publisher's site.
Sources
Facts were checked against Wikipedia articles on the Baku City Circuit, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the individual races (2016–2025), and against the 2026 season calendar. Results and records are current as of 18 August 2026.