The Azerbaijan Grand Prix may not have the prestige and glamour of Monaco, but it’s still one of the most entertaining races of the year. The Baku City Circuit is built for nothing else besides speed. With an iconic 2,2 km straight, you should expect to see the highest top speeds of the year. Interested in learning more about Baku? Here are 5 things you should know about the fastest F1 circuit on the calendar.

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  1. Expect the Highest Speeds of the Season

The Baku Street Circuit is by far the fastest F1 circuit. While many may debate between Baku and Monza, Baku has a 2,2 km straight that allows drivers to go flat out and reach speeds of over 340 km/h. Baku is where drivers spend the longest time at full throttle over a lap versus any other F1 track. Monza may still have a higher average speed, but if you’re curious to see an F1 car’s top speed, Baku is the race to watch.

  1. As Tricky as Monaco

Baku may have a long straight, but the first two sectors of the track are incredibly complex. These low-speed corners can be incredibly tricky to master, maybe even more difficult than racing around Monaco. The reason why Baku may be more difficult than Monaco isn’t just about the drivers but also about the teams. How do you set up a car for slow corners and long straights at the same time? That’s the challenge.

  1. Look Out for Safety Cars

Baku is an incredibly complex circuit. With the castle area being one of the trickiest corner complexes in the F1 calendar. With Monaco-like corners and Monza-like straights, expect a few safety cars throughout the race as well.

  1. Hamilton Will Want Revenge

The Baku City Circuit entered the F1 Calendar back in 2016 as the official European Grand Prix. While the circuit has been around for a while, no driver has managed to win the race twice. Ricciardo managed to secure the first win while Hamilton and Bottas won in 2018 and 2019. 

Hamilton was set to take another victory in 2021 but locked up into turn 1 after a standing restart, quickly dropping him out of the points. This allowed Perez to take his first-ever win with Red Bull. However, this also means you should keep an eye out for Hamilton as he will definitely be out for revenge. 

  1. Fastest F1 Circuit, Getting Slower

While the Baku City Circuit is still the fastest F1 Circuit on the calendar, F1 fans around the world will be disappointed to find out the lap record is not getting broken anytime soon. This is due to the new 2022 Formula 1 regulations drastically slowing down the cars. 

Despite a few cars being able to reach 330 km/h across the finish line, you can expect everyone to be over a second slower per lap than they were back in 2021. 

Click here to check out the fastest the 24 Hours of Le Mans course ever was, before they changed it.

Baku Quick Facts

Official Name: Baku City Circuit

Location: Baku, Azerbaijan

Lap Distance: 6 km (3,7 miles)

Lap Record: 1:43,009 (Charles Leclerc for Ferrari)

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