Who is the most successful driver in Baku?
Although Charles Leclerc has already secured four pole positions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull's Sergio Perez is the most successful driver at Baku, having won two races on the challenging streets.
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 (Bākuh, Bākūh or Bākūyā) is derived from the Persian bād Kūbac, 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.
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.
So far, Baku has hosted F1 race on seven occasions. Nico Rosberg won the inaugural event in 2016, Daniel Ricciardo emerged victorious in 2017 while Lewis Hamilton took the victory in 2018 after inheriting the lead three laps from finish when his team-mate Valtteri Bottas suffered a puncture.
The Finn finally came out on top in 2019 while Sergio Perez won the Baku race in 2021 after his team mate Max Verstappen lost an otherwise easy victory due to a puncture. The following year saw reigning champion Verstappen secure his first victory in Azerbaijan, while his Mexican team-mate clinched his second Baku victory last year.
If Perez 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.
