The final third of the season gets underway in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, which history recounts was founded by Alexander the Great.

The city's name in Arabic (Bakuh, Bakuh or Bakuya) is derived from the Persian bad Kubac, meaning "gust of wind." It has hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix every year since 2016 with the exception of 2020. In that first year only, the event went by the name of Grand Prix of Europe, after which it took its name from the country. This year for the first time, the race takes place in September rather than the usual April or June and that will also be the case next year with the aim of achieving a more logistically coherent calendar.

As usual for a street circuit Pirelli has chosen the three softest dry compounds in the range, namely the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. The track is 6.003 kilometres in length and has remained pretty much unchanged since 2016, featuring 20 corners. Some of these, such as the first seven, are practically right angle turns, while others through the old part of the city are very slow and some are flat out, as they are part of a section of track that is treated as a two kilometre straight leading across the start-finish line. The track varies a lot in width, going from only seven metres at turn 8 to being wide enough to accommodate three cars abreast down the main straight.

As the circuit is normally open to city traffic, track evolution will be an important factor to consider when evaluating performance, while the weather can also play its part. Usually, it is quite hot in September, with temperatures definitely higher than those experienced when the race was held in April. Furthermore, track temperature can vary significantly depending on which parts are in sunlight or in the shade from the surrounding buildings, especially in the section that runs through the old city. Last but not least, the wind can upset the car's handling and, coming from different directions, can catch the drivers unawares, as it is channelled by the surrounding buildings of the town.

The fastest ever top speed by a Formula 1 car in an official event was set in Baku, when Valtteri Bottas was clocked at 378 km/h in his Williams-Mercedes during qualifying for the inaugural event in 2016. The high speeds reached on the main straight will put the tyres to the test, especially with the downforce generated by the current cars. With another section of track requiring the opposite aero set-up, the teams cannot opt to run too low a downforce level as they would then suffer in the slowest part of the track, where they will rely on tyre-generated grip to get the most out of the car. Fortunately, the current Pirelli range has proved to be up to the task of dealing with these extremes of use.

When it comes to strategy, Baku is a typical one-stop race with the hardest tyre doing most of the work. Although a glance at the circuit layout might lead one to believe that overtaking is relatively straightforward, that is not at all the case. Given the hierarchy of the teams this year, with the performance differences within the two main groups being minimal, the effectiveness of DRS could play an important role, as will a team's ability to react to the unexpected on a track where the chances of the race being neutralised are very high. In 2023, almost all drivers started the race on the Medium before switching to the Hard when the Safety Car came out on lap 11.

Sergio Perez is the only driver to have won here more than once. The Mexican won in Baku in 2021 and 2023, last time out also winning the Sprint, proving he clearly has an affinity for this type of track, as six of his seven Formula 1 wins have come on street circuits. If Checo is the king of Baku, Charles Leclerc can be said to be its prince of poles, as the Monegasque has secured the number one grid slot for the past three years from 2021 to 2023 and last year, he was also fastest in the Sprint Shootout. When it comes to the teams, the roles are reversed with Red Bull having the most wins (four) but no pole positions, while Ferrari has four poles, one of which courtesy of Sebastian Vettel, but it has never won. Indeed, the Italian team has only made it to the podium four times, while Mercedes and Red Bull have each done so on six occasions.