Baku longer on F1 calendar? "Talks on new contract ongoing"

For the fourth Grand Prix of the season, Formula 1 sets foot in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

The street circuit has been on the calendar since 2016 - there was no race in 2020 due to the corona pandemic - and has proved a guarantee of unpredictability. Yet it is all but certain that Baku will also be on the F1 calendar in the coming years, GP Blog reports.

The contract with the Baku-based organisation expires after the next edition. If it is up to the Azeris, the commitment with Formula One Management (FOM) will be renewed. According to Turab Teymurov, spokesman for organiser Baku City Ring, a new contract is a big possibility, News.az says.

Major social and economic benefits

The English-language medium from Azerbaijan quotes Teymurov: "Negotiations to extend the contract are underway. We hope that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will continue to be held. Certainly, Formula 1 has many economic and social advantages. Once the final information about the negotiations is obtained, we will provide further information about it."

The six previous editions of the Grand Prix through the streets of Baku produced six different winners. First, Nico Rosberg won in the historic streets, although in 2016 the race was called the Grand Prix of Europe. Daniel Ricciardo, on behalf of Red Bull Racing, was the first to take the top prize in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen.