Timeline
Ten years: from the first markings on Neftchilar Avenue to a race that will be held on a Saturday for the first time.
How to read this timeline
Baku is a rare case where a circuit appeared not in place of an old one but from scratch, in the middle of a living city. Below is what happened year by year: who won, what broke and how the format of the weekend changed.
By year
- First talks
Formula 1's then chief executive Bernie Ecclestone speaks of a race in Baku in 2016; in July 2014 the debut is officially pushed back to 2016.
- European Grand Prix
19 June — the first race. Nico Rosberg wins: pole, lights-to-flag lead and the fastest lap — the second grand slam of his career. Vettel second, Pérez third. The weekend is remembered for its technical troubles too: Bottas damaged his car on a drain cover, and Pirelli found cuts in 90% of the rear tyres.
- The first Azerbaijan Grand Prix
A race with two restarts. Daniel Ricciardo wins, Bottas second, Lance Stroll third — the first Canadian on the podium since Jacques Villeneuve in 2001 and the second-youngest podium finisher in history.
- Hamilton at the last moment
Vettel takes pole, but Lewis Hamilton takes the win: Bottas had been leading and lost everything to a puncture with two laps to go. Räikkönen second, Pérez third.
- A Mercedes one-two and a lap record
Valtteri Bottas wins from pole, Hamilton second, Vettel third. Charles Leclerc sets the lap record — 1:43.009. First practice is cancelled after George Russell hits a drain cover.
- Cancelled
The Grand Prix is called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic, after discussions between the Azerbaijani government, Formula 1 and the FIA.
- A race without spectators and without its leaders
Leclerc on pole. Five laps from the end the leading Verstappen suffers a tyre blowout, and Hamilton makes a severe error at the restart. Sergio Pérez wins, Vettel second — the last podium of his career — and Gasly third.
- Verstappen
Leclerc takes pole again — the first driver to do so twice in Baku. Max Verstappen wins the race, Pérez second, Russell third.
- The first Baku sprint
The weekend runs to the sprint format for the first time. Pérez wins the sprint and the race, becoming the first two-time winner of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Leclerc takes pole and third place.
- Piastri's win and a change at the top
Leclerc takes his fourth consecutive pole, but Oscar Piastri of McLaren wins the race. After the round McLaren displaces Red Bull at the head of the Constructors' Championship for the first time in 55 races. More than 76 thousand spectators at the track; 86 million watched live.
- Verstappen's grand slam
21 September: Verstappen wins from pole, leading every lap — his sixth grand slam and second Baku victory. Russell second, Carlos Sainz third — Williams' first podium since 2021. Championship leader Oscar Piastri crashes out on lap one.
- A Saturday race
The round is set for 26 September and will be held on a Saturday for the first time: the date was moved forward by a day at the request of the promoter and government stakeholders so as not to clash with Remembrance Day.
What has changed in ten years
In its first years Baku proved that a street circuit can be safe and spectacular at once. Then came the formats: a sprint in 2023, a move to the autumn part of the calendar in 2024, Saturday instead of Sunday in 2026.
One thing has stayed constant: almost every year the race in Baku ends differently from how its leaders began it. Of the nine Grands Prix held, only three were won by the driver who started from pole.
Baku.ws news
The feed of the news portal
EconomyAzerbaijani oil has become cheaper909080808010:09
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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.