Insights, deep-dives & race intel
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Baku 2026 had 43 passes on track, and twelve of them happened in one corner
We counted every on-track pass in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the lap by lap running order. There were 43, but twelve came in a single corner when Oscar Piastri locked up at the restart. Baku ranks seventh of the fifteen races of 2026, which is not what its reputation says.
Azerbaijan GP team radio: the messages that explain Baku, from Russell's lost power to Gasly's lost points
The best team radio from the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the audio and a colour-coded transcript. George Russell explains the last lap that nearly cost him the win, Pierre Gasly reacts to being taken out by his own team mate, and Isack Hadjar takes a podium with a gearbox vibration.
Azerbaijan GP results: Russell wins Baku by 0.196s, and his own radio explains the last lap
George Russell won the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix by 0.196 seconds from Max Verstappen after two safety cars wiped out a 12.5 second lead. On the last lap a double yellow cost him seven tenths, and he said so on the radio. Full results, penalties and retirements.
Every Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner, measured: ten races at Baku, four won from pole
Ten Formula 1 races have been held at the Baku City Circuit since 2016. Only four were won from pole, Charles Leclerc started first four years running without winning, and Daniel Ricciardo won from tenth. Every winner, grid slot, safety car and red flag, measured.
Baku's reputation is chaos. Five races of team radio disagree.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix averages 89 broadcast radio messages a race against 112 across every circuit, 14th of 16. The chaos is real, but it sits almost entirely in two seasons.
Azerbaijan GP preview: Baku's 2026 pole could be slower than its lap record
We forecast the 2026 Baku pole at 1:43.9 to 1:44.5, slower than the race lap record Leclerc set in 2019. Session times for the first Saturday race in Baku, the last three winners and what to watch.
Why Baku Produces the Racing It Does
A 2.2km straight, a seven metre gap between walls, near-zero tyre wear and an 86% safety car rate. Baku's chaos is not luck, it is the direct product of four things.