F1 Team Form: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mercedes and Red Bull have taken multiple Azerbaijan Grand Prix wins and the Silverstone-based team have recorded three podium results here. Here’s everything you need to know about each team’s history at Baku City Circuit!

RED BULL

WINS: 4, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 6 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: PEREZ 1st, VERSTAPPEN 2nd

Red Bull took their fourth victory in Azerbaijan in 2023, with Sergio Perez standing on the top step of the podium. Max Verstappen won the previous year and in both 2022 and 2023, the team recorded a 1-2 result.

Prior to 2022, the team had scored only two podiums at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – both being wins, for Daniel Ricciardo in 2017 and Perez in 2021.

2022 marked the first time since the inaugural race at Baku City Circuit that both Red Bull drivers crossed the finish line in Azerbaijan. At least one Red Bull driver retired in all four Azerbaijan Grands Prix between 2017 and 2021.

Most notably, 2018’s race ended in disaster for the team as Ricciardo collided with team-mate Verstappen, recording Red Bull’s first double DNF at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen on the podium at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Red Bull reached the final part of qualifying with both cars on every occasion except one in Baku. In 2019, Pierre Gasly was fastest in Q1 but was already set to start from the back of the grid after a weighbridge infraction in practice and did not set a time in Q2. He was later excluded from qualifying for exceeding fuel flow limits.

Red Bull have appeared on the front row three times in Baku. Daniel Ricciardo qualified third in 2016, which became a front-row start after Perez’s penalty, while Perez recorded the team’s first bona fide front row qualification at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2022. Max Verstappen qualified on the front row in 2023, with both drivers qualifying in the top three for a second successive season.

MERCEDES

WINS: 3, POLES: 3, PODIUMS: 6 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: HAMILTON 6th, RUSSELL 8th

Mercedes have won three of the seven races held so far at Baku City Circuit. Nico Rosberg took a dominant win at the inaugural F1 race in Azerbaijan in 2016, Lewis Hamilton took a fortuitous victory in 2018 after his team-mate suffered a puncture just laps from the end of the Grand Prix and Valtteri Bottas went on to win in 2019.

2021 and 2023 are the only Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends so far to feature neither Mercedes driver on the podium at the end of the Grand Prix. 2021 is the only time neither of the team’s drivers have scored.

Valtteri Bottas’ tyre misfortune in 2018 is the only time a Mercedes car has faoled to finish the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, though he was classified in 14th place as he’d completed over 90% of the race distance.

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished in the top four in 2022, with Russell recording a podium finish. Neither driver finished in the top five in 2023 – Hamilton was sixth, with Russell eighth.

George Russell at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Mercedes have taken pole at Baku City Circuit three times and have locked out the front row twice. Nico Rosberg secured pole in the inaugural 2016 race, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time in qualifying in 2017 and Valtteti Bottas started from the front in 2019.

In 2023, Russell became the first Mercedes driver to fail to reach Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He qualified 11th, missing out on the top ten by just 0.004 seconds.

Prior to 2022, Hamilton’s crash in the final part of qualifying in 2016 and Bottas’ tenth place in 2021 were the only times a Mercedes car has qualified outside the top three grid slots here. Neither driver has qualified in the top four in the last two seasons.

FERRARI

WINS: 0, POLES: 4, PODIUMS: 4 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: LECLERC 3rd, SAINZ 5th

Despite taking all of the last three pole positions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari are yet to win a race in Baku. The team has finished on the podium in four of the seven races held at the Baku City Circuit.

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished as runner-up in 2016 and 2018 respectively, while Vettel also finished in third place in 2019. Charles Leclerc recoded the team’s first podium since then with third place in 2023.

The 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ended in disaster for Ferrari as both drivers retired from the race – Charles Leclerc doing so whilst leading the race.

Aside from that double DNF, Raikkonen’s 14th place finish in 2017 is the only other time a Ferrari hasn’t scored points here as well as the only other time that one of their cars hasn’t crossed the finish line – though the Finn was classified in the final order.

Ferrari at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Ferrari have taken four poles so far at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, including at each of the last three Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest qualifying time in 2018, while Charles Leclerc took pole in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Ferrari have reached the final part of qualifying with both cars at every race held in Baku so far. Leclerc’s tenth place in 2019 is their worst qualifying position to date. Leclerc crashed in Q2 that season, meaning he was unable to take part in the final stage of qualifying.

McLAREN

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: NORRIS 9th, PIASTRI 11th

McLaren have picked up points at all of the last six Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends, including a run of four consecutive races in which both drivers scored between 2018 and 2022.

Fifth place is the team’s best result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to date, recorded by Lando Norris in 2021. Their previous best was seventh, by Fernando Alonso in 2018 and Carlos Sainz in 2019. Alonso’s seventh place was somewhat miraculous considering he had a double puncture on the first lap!

2016 is the only season that the team have left the track pointless. That year, Jenson Button finished 11th, while Alonso recorded McLaren’s only retirement to date in Azerbaijan.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

McLaren reached Q3 in Azerbaijan for the first time in 2019, with Lando Norris qualifying seventh. He bettered that result in 2021 with sixth place. In 2023, Norris and Oscar Piastri recorded the team’s first double Q3 appearance in Baku.

Before 2019, at least one McLaren had been eliminated in the first part of qualifying on all three appearances so far at the track. 2017 is the only time both McLarens have been eliminated in Q1.

ASTON MARTIN

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 3* | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALONSO 4th, STROLL 7th

The Silverstone-based team has recorded three podium results in the seven races held so far in Azerbaijan. Sergio Perez finished third with Force India and Racing Point in 2016 and 2018 respectively, while Sebastian Vettel finished as runner-up with Aston Martin in 2021.

2016, 2019 and 2023 are the only years that the team has finished with both cars in the points. The only occasions that the team hasn’t scored here have been the result of DNFs; for Perez in 2017, Esteban Ocon in 2018 and Lance Stroll in 2021 and 2022.

The team has reached Q3 with both cars on three occasions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – in 2017, 2018 and 2023. The team’s best qualifying result here is a front row qualification for Sergio Perez in 2016; though he was later demoted to seventh on the grid following a gearbox change.

2021 marked the first time that neither of the team’s cars reached Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lance Stroll’s 19th place in qualifying in 2021 is the team’s worst Saturday showing so far at Baku City Circuit. He crashed out in Q1.

ALPINE

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: GASLY 14th, OCON 15th

The former Renault team have picked up points in three Baku City Circuit races. 2022 was the first time that the team has scored with both cars at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso seventh and Esteban Ocon tenth. Neither driver scored in 2023, finishing only 14th and 15th.

Carlos Sainz recorded the team’s best result here to date – under its Renault guise – with fifth in 2018, while Alonso also finished sixth for Alpine in 2021.

The team recorded at least one retirement in every Azerbaijan Grand Prix between 2017 and 2021. 2017 marks their only double retirement.

Both of Renault’s drivers reached Q3 at the circuit in 2018. That remains the only time that Enstone team has seen both cars qualify in the top ten at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso’s Q3 appearances in 2021 and 2022 are the only other times that one of their cars has qualified in the top ten.

Alonso equalled the team’s best qualifying result here in 2021 with ninth place. Nico Hulkenberg also qualified ninth in 2018. 2016 marks the team’s only double Q1 elimination to date at Baku City Circuit.

WILLIAMS

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 1 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: ALBON 12th, SARGEANT 16th

Lance Stroll scored Williams’ only podium finish in Azerbaijan so far in 2017, while 2016 is the only time both Williams drivers have finished inside the top ten in Baku. Stroll’s eighth place in 2018 is the last time that Williams scored points here.

Both 2017 and 2018 saw one retirement for the team, with Felipe Massa retiring in 2017 and Sergey Sirotkin out after a collision on the first lap in 2018. Williams had a troubled weekend in 2019, as George Russell ran over a loose drain cover in Free Practice 1. Russell’s car was then towed away on a recovery truck, which hit a bridge and brought an early end to the session.

Image: © Andrew Balfour

Things didn’t get much better for Williams on Saturday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2019, as Robert Kubica crashed in Q1. 2019 marked the second time that both Williams drivers failed to reach the final part of qualifying in Baku, and their first Q1 exits at the track.

In 2021, Nicholas Latifi was out in Q1 while Russell progressed to the next stage. Both drivers made it through to Q2 in both 2022 and 2023.

Felipe Massa provided their team with their best starting place to date at the track in 2016, with sixth place (which became fifth on the grid following Sergio Perez’s penalty).

VISA CASH APP RB

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 1 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: TSUNODA 10th, DE VRIES DNF

Pierre Gasly recorded a podium result for the Red Bull junior team at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished fifth with the team in the 2022 race.

Prior to 2021, the team had scored the least points of any current team at the track. But with Yuki Tsunoda also finishing seventh in addition to Gasly’s podium, the team bolstered their points tally.

Before 2021, Toro Rosso’s only points finishes here came courtesy of eight place for Carlos Sainz in 2017 and tenth for Brendon Hartley in 2018. Tsunoda added another point to the team’s tally in 2023 with a tenth place finish.

2018, 2021 and 2022 are the only years in which both of the team’s cars have reached the chequered flag. The team recorded a double DNF at the inaugural Baku City Circuit race, while Daniil Kvyat went on to record another two retirements with the team at the venue in 2017 and 2019. Nyck de Vries failed to finish in 2023.

The Red Bull junior team has made at least one Q3 appearance in all of the last four Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends. Both cars qualified in the top ten in both 2021 and 2022.

Pierre Gasly recorded the team’s best qualifying result to date here in 2021, with fourth place. The team recorded their only double Q1 elimination at the track in 2017.

SAUBER

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: BOTTAS 18th, ZHOU DNF

The Sauber team scored points in every Azerbaijan Grand Prix between 2017 and 2021. Three of those occasions were tenth place finishes, while hte other was Charles Leclerc’s sixth place in 2018; the Monegasque driver’s first points of his Formula 1 career.

The team have left the track point-less in each of the last two seasons. In 2022, Zhou Guanyu recorded the team’s first retirement at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Valtteri Bottas recorded their second in 2023.

2019 is the only year that the team have reached Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, doing so with both cars. However, that year, Kimi Raikkonen was excluded from the result and had to start from the pit-lane after his car failed a front wing deflection test.

2019 and 2022 are the only seasons in which neither of the team’s cars have been eliminated in Q1 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

HAAS

WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULT: MAGNUSSEN 13th, HULKENBERG 17th

Haas have scored only once in Azerbaijan, with Kevin Magnussen finishing seventh in 2017. Strangely, the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the only time in seven races at Baku City Circuit that a Haas car has not finished in 13th place.

Romain Grosjean recorded the Haas team’s first DNF at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2018 by crashing into a wall under Safety Car conditions. The team has recorded two DNFs here since – in 2019 and 2022.

Kevin Magnussen, 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Image: © Andrew Balfour.
Image: © Andrew Balfour

Haas have never reached the final part of qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with at least one of their cars being eliminated in Q1 in all of the last six Baku races. Romain Grosjean failed to even set a time in 2018.

Grosjean’s 11th place in 2016 is Haas’ best qualifying position to date at the track. The team recorded their first double Q1 elimination in Azerbaijan in 2021, and both cars have been eliminated in Q1 in both races at the track since then.

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