After what feels like an eternity, Formula One finally returns for its fourth race of the season around the streets of Baku in Azerbaijan.
From the tight twists of the castle section to the high speed straights, previous races on the shores of the Caspian Sea have proved entertaining affairs.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen remains the man to beat this time around, though this track has proven difficult for the Dutchman before. That's because he's failed to finish the race here (3) more often than he's won (2) — unusual for his career to date.
From circuit stats to previous results, The Sporting News tells you everything you need to know about the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and its history.
Azerbaijan circuit facts and layout
- First Grand Prix hosted: 2016
- Numbers of laps: 51
- Circuit length: 6.003km
- Total race distance: 306.049km
- Lap record: 1:43.009 (Charles Leclerc - 2019)
MORE: 2023 season calendar, list of circuits, fastest ever lap times and more
Five interesting facts about the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- During qualifying back in 2016, Williams' Valtteri Bottas set an unofficial record for the highest speed ever recorded in an F1 car, reaching 378 km/h.
- Baku lies on the eastern side of Azerbaijan and is surrounded by the Caspian Sea — which is the world’s largest lake. At 28 metres below sea level, Baku is also the lowest lying national capital in the world.
- The 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked the first time in Formula 1 history that a Mexican driver, a German driver, and a French driver shared the three podium positions.
- Sergio Perez holds the record for the most number of podium finishes at this track (4).
- Nico Rosberg is the only winner of the Grand Prix in Baku who is no longer racing on the F1 grid in 2023. (2016 — this track was used as the 'European Grand Prix').
Full schedule for 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Here's the full list for the upcoming 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, including start times for practice, qualifying and race day.
| Date | Session | Time (ET) | Time (BST) | Time (AEDT) |
| Friday, April 28 | Practice 1 | 5:30 a.m | 10:30 a.m | 7:30 p.m |
| Friday, April 28 | Qualifying | 9:00 a.m | 2 p.m | 11 p.m |
| Saturday, April 29 | Practice 2 | 5:30 a.m | 10:30 a.m | 7:30 a.m |
| Saturday, April 29 | Sprint | 9:30 a.m | 2:30 p.m | 11:30 p.m |
| Sunday, April 30 | Race | 7 a.m | 12 p.m | 9 p.m |
F1 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ticket prices, availability
As with most years in Baku, the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a near sell out with only one option left for F1 fans to take in the action this weekend.
On Formula One's official website, fans are still able to get hold of a 'paddock pass' from Friday to Sunday, although beware as this ticket will set you back around €4500.
All other tickets in the grandstands around the race track are currently sold out.
MORE: Who has the most podiums in F1 history?
F1 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix TV channel, live stream
List of TV providers for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports |
List of live stream providers for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+, Fubo | TSN Direct | Kayo |
Odds for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Once again this season, Max Verstappen has been made the huge favourite to win the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
That said, this weekend could prove a challenge for the Red Bull driver. For a start, it's the first Sprint race of the season which always raises the risk of damage throughout the weekend. Secondly, Verstappen has had a pretty rough time around Baku before in his career. He's won here twice but he's also failed to finish this race on three occasions.
In the latest odds he's followed by teammate Sergio Perez who currently sits a distance infront of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Full list of odds for drivers to win the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), Neds (Australia) and Dafabet (India). Odds correct as of April 24.
| Driver | BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | Neds | Dafabet |
| Max Verstappen | -200 | 1.37 | 2/5 | 1.40 | 1.36 |
| Sergio Perez | +450 | 5.19 | 9/2 | 6.00 | 5.00 |
| Fernando Alonso | +1000 | 11.00 | 10/1 | 11.00 | 11.00 |
| Lance Stroll | +6600 | 92.00 | 66/1 | 81.00 | 101.00 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1400 | 27.00 | 22/1 | 19.00 | 29.00 |
| Carlos Sainz | +2200 | 37.00 | 28/1 | 23.00 | 41.00 |
| George Russell | +1600 | 23.00 | 22/1 | 23.00 | 34.00 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +1200 | 9.00 | 14/1 | 13.00 | 13.00 |
| Lando Norris | +25000 | 346.00 | 750/1 | 251 | 1001.00 |
| Esteban Ocon | +20000 | 527.00 | 500/1 | 201 | 601.00 |
| Pierre Gasly | +10000 | 276.00 | 500/1 | 101 | 601.00 |
| Oscar Piastri | +100000 | 1365.00 | 1000/1 | 1001 | 1501.00 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +150000 | 1365.00 | 1000/1 | 1501 | 1501.00 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +5000 | 1112.00 | 1000/1 | 501 | 1501.00 |
| Alex Albon | +5000 | 578.00 | 1000/1 | 501 | 1501.00 |
| Zhou Guanyu | +250000 | 1501.00 | 1500/1 | 2501 | 2501.00 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +250000 | 600.00 | 1500/1 | 2501 | 2501.00 |
| Nyck de Vries | +300000 | 2001.00 | 2000/1 | 3001 | 3001.00 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +200000 | 2001.00 | 1500/1 | 2501 | 2501.00 |
| Logan Sargeant | +300000 | 1667.00 | 2000/1 | 3001 | 3001.00 |
Past winners at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Here's a list of the previous race winners by driver and constructor at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since it was first run in 2017 as the event.
| Year | Winning Driver | Winning Constructor |
| 2017 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull |
| 2018 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 2019 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes |
| 2020 | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 2022 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
Weather for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Given its location between the Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountains on the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix normally enjoys very predictable weather.
So far throughout its history, there's never been a wet race in Baku and in 2023, it doesn't look like that will change.
At present the forecast looks to be dry and sunny on all three days with air temperatures hovering around 19C / 66F.
Teams will have to contend with a pretty evident breeze on all three days however as F1 introduces the first Sprint race of the season.