BIOGRAPHY
The Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan is scheduled to host the Baku European Grand Prix from 2016.
The 6.006 km (3.732 mile) anti-clockwise circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke and starts adjacent to Azadliq Square. The track then loops around Government House before heading west to Maiden Tower.
At this point the track has a narrow uphill traversal and then circles the Old City before opening up onto a 2.2 km (1.4 mi) stretch along Neftchilar Avenue back to the start line.
In December 2013, Bernie Ecclestone suggested that the race would be run in 2016 but later said that because the Korean Grand Prix organisers were in breach of contract, it would be moved to 2015. However, in July 2014 it was announced that the race's debut would be delayed until 2016.
2018 marked the third Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the third Formula One grand prix to be held on the Baku City Circuit. The circuit made its debut with the 2016 European Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg won the inaugural event in Baku for Mercedes, recording a grand chelem of pole (his 25th), victory, fastest lap and every lap led. Last year's winner was Daniel Ricciardo for Red Bull Racing. The Australian won from tenth on the grid having crashed in qualifying.
Mercedes are the only team to feature on the podium at both races here. Following Rosberg's 2016 win, Valtteri Bottas finished second last year. Mercedes are also the most successful engine manufacturer, having had two teams on the podium at both races: Sergio Perez finished third in 2016 for Force India, and Lance Stroll finished third for Williams last year. The other driver to feature on the podium in Baku is Sebastian Vettel, who finished second for Ferrari in 2016.
Of the 60 podium places on offer in 2017, 59 were taken by the drivers from Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. Third place for Williams' Lance Stroll in Azerbaijan was the only visit to the podium by a driver from outside the top three teams in the final standings of the Constructors' Championship. It was Stroll's first, and so far only, podium.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the most overtaking-friendly race of 2017, with 42 of the season's 435 successful flying lap overtaking manoeuvres.
Azerbaijan is the only country on the 2018 calendar in which Lewis Hamilton has not been on the podium, and one of only two where he has not had a victory - the other being France, where his best result was third in 2007. Kimi Raikkonen has also been on the podium in every country on the 2018 schedule except Azerbaijan.
The Baku City Circuit is one of six tracks to have hosted grands prix of different titles. The others are Brands Hatch (British and European), Jerez (Spanish and European) The Nürburgring (German, Luxembourg, European), Imola (Italian and San Marino) and Dijon (French and Swiss).
There is also a case to be made for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has hosted both the United States Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, the latter being a round of the F1 World Championship between 1950 and 1960.
Brendon Hartley, Pierre Gasly, Sergey Sirotkin and Charles Leclerc are making their first F1 visit to the circuit, though Hartley is the only circuit debutant. The other three have all appeared in junior categories and all have featured on the podium. Leclerc and Sirotkin drove here last year in Formula 2. Leclerc won the feature race and came second in the sprint, while Sirotkin was tenth and fourth. The Russian also raced in Baku during the final season of GP2, finishing second and third. Gasly likewise appeared in 2016, retiring from the feature race but finishing second in the sprint.
Mercedes have gone three races without a victory for the first time in the turbo hybrid era. They have previously lost consecutive races only twice: in 2014 when Ricciardo won the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, and last year when Max Verstappen's victory in Mexico was
followed by victory for Vettel in Brazil.
