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: 3, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 4 | 2022 RESULT: VERSTAPPEN 1st, PEREZ 2nd
Red Bull took their third victory in Azerbaijan last year, with Max Verstappen standing on the top step of the podium. With Sergio Perez finishing second, the team recorded their first 1-2 finish at track. 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 Max Verstappen, recording their first double DNF at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Red Bull reached the final part of qualifying with both cars on every occasion up to 2019 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 then excluded from qualifying for exceeding fuel flow limits.
Red Bull have appeared on the front row here twice. 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.
FERRARI
WINS: 0, POLES: 3, PODIUMS: 3 | 2022 RESULT: LECLERC DNF, SAINZ DNF
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. Ferrari are yet to win a race in Azerbaijan, but have finished on the podium in three of the six 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. Aside from their double DNF in 2022, Raikkonen’s 14th place finish in 2017 is the only other time one of their cars hasn’t crossed the finish line, and the only time a Ferrari hasn’t scored points here – though the Finn was classified in the final order.
Ferrari have taken three poles so far at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, including at each of the last two Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekends. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest qualifying time in 2018, while Charles Leclerc took pole in both 2021 and 2022.
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 so far. Leclerc crashed in Q2 that season, meaning he was unable to take part in the final stage of qualifying.
MERCEDES
WINS: 3, POLES: 3, PODIUMS: 6 | 2022 RESULT: RUSSELL 3rd, HAMILTON 4th
Mercedes have won three of the six 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 won in 2019.
2021 is the only Azerbaijan Grand Prix so far to feature neither Mercedes driver on the podium and was the first in which neither of the team’s cars finished inside the points. Prior to 2021, Bottas’ tyre misfortune in 2018 was the only time a Mercedes car has finished outside of the top five at the circuit. Bottas didn’t cross the finish line in 2018 following his late race puncture, but was classified in 14th in the final order as he’d completed over 90% of the race distance. Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished in the top four last year, with Russell recording a podium finish.
Mercedes have reached the final part of qualifying with both cars on every trip to Azerbaijan so far. They have taken pole at Baku City Circuit three times. Prior to 2022, Lewis Hamilton’s crash in the final part of qualifying in 2016 and Valtteri Bottas’ tenth place in 2021 were the only times a Mercedes car has qualified outside the top three grid slots here. In 2022, neither Russell nor Hamilton qualified in the top four. Mercedes locked-out the front row in both 2017 and 2019.
ALPINE
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2022 RESULT: ALONSO 7th, OCON 10th
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. Carlos Sainz recorded the team’s best result here to date 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. 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. Nico Hulkenberg also qualified ninth in 2018.
Both Renaults were eliminated in Q1 in 2016, while Hulkenberg reached Q2 in 2017 and Jolyon Palmer was knocked out in Q1. Similarly in 2019, Daniel Ricciardo reached Q2, while Hulkenberg was out in Q1.
McLAREN
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2022 RESULT: RICCIARDO 8th, NORRIS 9th
For a fourth Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a row, McLaren scored with both cars at the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 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!
2018 was the first time both McLarens finished in the points at the circuit, with Stoffel Vandoorne also coming home in ninth place. 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 so far in Azerbaijan.
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. Daniel Ricciardo crashed out in Q2 in 2021. Both Norris and Ricciardo were out in Q2 in 2022.
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.
ALFA ROMEO
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2022 RESULT: BOTTAS 11th, ZHOU DNF
In 2022, Zhou Guanyu recorded the former Sauber team’s first retirement at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 2022 was also the first time since 2016 that the team failed to score at Baku City Circuit. Their best finish here is Charles Leclerc’s sixth place in 2018. Their other three points-scoring appearances have been tenth place finishes for Pascal Wehrlein in 2017 and Kimi Raikkonen in both 2019 and 2021.
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. 2022 joined 2019 in being only the second season in which neither of the team’s cars were eliminated in Q1.
ASTON MARTIN
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 3* | 2022 RESULT: VETTEL 6th, STROLL DNF
The Silverstone-based team have recorded three podium results in the six races held so far in Azerbaijan. Sergio Perez finished third in both 2016 and 2018, while Sebastian Vettel finished as runner-up in 2021.
2016 and 2019 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 were as a result of DNFs; for Perez in 2017, Esteban Ocon in 2018 and Lance Stroll in 2021 and 2022.
2021 was the first time that neither of the team’s cars reached Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In 2017 and 2018, both cars reached Q3 at the circuit. Lance Stroll’s 19th place in qualifying in 2021 is the team’s worst Saturday showing so far at the circuit. He crashed out in Q1. 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.
HAAS
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 0 | 2022 RESULT: SCHUMACHER 14th, MAGNUSSEN DNF
Haas have scored only once in Azerbaijan, with Kevin Magnussen finishing seventh in 2017. Strangely, the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked the first time that a Haas car did not finish 13th at Baku City Circuit.
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 and the team has recorded two DNFs here since – in 2019 and 2022.
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 five Baku races. Romain Grosjean failed to even set a time in 2018. Kevin Magnussen’s 13th place in 2017 is their best qualifying position to date at the track, while the team recorded their first double Q1 elimination at the track in 2021. Both drivers were also out in Q1 in 2022.
ALPHATAURI
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 1 | 2022 RESULT: GASLY 5th, TSUNODA 13th
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 last year’s 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.
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. 2018, 2021 and 2022 are the only years in which both of the team’s cars have reached the chequered flag.
AlphaTauri have reached Q3 with both cars at each of the last two Azerbaijan Grands Prix. Pierre Gasly recorded the team’s best qualifying result to date in 2021, with fourth place. Before 2021, Toro Rosso reached Q3 at Baku City Circuit only twice. Daniil Kvyat qualified in seventh in 2016, which later became sixth on the grid, and equalled the team’s best grid slot at the track by qualifying sixth in 2019. The team recorded their only double Q1 elimination at the track in 2017.
WILLIAMS
WINS: 0, POLES: 0, PODIUMS: 1 | 2022 RESULT: ALBON 12th, LATIFI 15th
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. 2019 marked the first time that the team failed to pick up points at the circuit and the team has not picked up a point at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since then.
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.
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 2022.
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).
