The 2025 FIA Formula 1 season continues in Baku, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix returning to the Baku City Circuit this Sunday at noon UK time.
Free practice 1 and 2 happens on Friday 19th while Free practice 3 and qualifying take place on Saturday 20th.
After the drama of Zandvoort, where Lewis Hamilton found the barriers in the rain and triggered another Safety Car shuffle, the Formula 1 paddock heads to Baku for what could be a pivotal weekend in this absorbing championship fight.
The 6km long Baku City Circuit has the unpredictability in part of a street circuit with wide open flat out straights in contrast. While new UK betting sites are highlighting a wide range of potential outcomes for the weekend, it reflects just how open the race could be.
Drivers will complete 51 laps, covering just over 306km. The circuit’s anticlockwise layout, narrow sections, and unforgiving walls make it one of the more challenging races on the calendar, where mistakes are often costly and opportunities for dramatic overtakes are frequent, especially at the end of the main straight heading into Turn 1.
What’s happened so far this season?
The 2025 Formula 1 World Championship has been nothing short of a McLaren masterclass, with the Woking-based team claiming an extraordinary start to the first half.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have shared this bounty of success almost equally, setting up a compelling intra-team battle that could decide the championship.
Piastri has matured into championship leadership with the composure of a veteran. The 24-year-old Australian currently holds the advantage in the standings at the time of writing.
His worst result remains a solitary P9 finish on home soil, while his best includes six race victories that have established him as the man to beat. Norris, meanwhile, has collected five wins of his own, his championship credentials strengthened by consistency that has seen him finish no lower than fourth when he’s seen the chequered flag.
Yet this is far from a two-horse race. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull has taken three wins so far in 2025, sits third in the standings and remains a constant threat if McLaren falters.
George Russell, Mercedes’ only race winner this season, completes a tight championship quartet, meaning every point scored in Baku could be crucial as the season progresses.
Baku: A track of contrasts
The Baku City Circuit presents a challenge that can quickly separate the front-runners from the rest of the field.
Its anticlockwise layout winds through the city, combining tight, technical sections with a 2.2km straight — the longest on the Formula 1 calendar — where speeds can exceed 350km/h before drivers brake hard for Turn 1.
For punters, this means that drivers who excel in precision and can make the most of slipstreaming down the straight are likely to hold an advantage, while mistakes in the narrow sections can quickly upset the odds, making strategic calls and driver consistency key factors for any bet.
Since the inaugural Azerbaijan GP in 2017, following a one-off European Grand Prix in 2016, the track has delivered its fair share of dramatic moments.
Sebastian Vettel’s collision with Lewis Hamilton in 2017, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull clash in 2018, and Sergio Perez’s two victories in 2021 and 2023 highlight Baku’s propensity for chaos and opportunity.
Red Bull has historically performed well here, claiming four wins from seven races, while drivers who can adapt to changing conditions consistently excel.
Race predictions: Who will come out on top?
As the championship battle tightens, attention turns to the drivers most likely to shape the outcome in Azerbaijan. Here’s a look at the contenders and what to expect on race day.
Oscar Piastri enters Baku as the defending race winner and current championship leader, making him the natural favourite. His 2024 triumph demonstrated his ability to handle the unique demands of street circuits, and his adaptability under pressure makes him the man to beat.
Lando Norris hunts his teammate while still chasing his first world championship. Although his Baku record is less impressive, the pace of the McLaren MCL39 ensures he cannot be discounted.
However, the Italian Grand Prix added a flashpoint: after a slow pit stop cost Lando Norris second place, McLaren controversially instructed Piastri to relinquish the position late in the race—a decision widely debated despite claims of fairness. An each-way approach seems sensible, given his ongoing title challenge.
Charles Leclerc has claimed pole at Baku for the last four editions, highlighting his street circuit expertise. While Ferrari has struggled this season, he remains a strong contender for pole, though it has yet to convert it into a race win, making a podium the most likely outcome.
Lewis Hamilton brings valuable street circuit experience despite a disappointing Dutch GP. With a win, a second, and a fourth in past Baku races, he is well-positioned to challenge for a top four finish.
Max Verstappen remains a podium threat, as shown in the Italian GP with a dominating 19.2s gap between himself and Norris who claimed second. Third in the standings and historically strong at Baku, his pace and ability to extract performance from a difficult Red Bull make him a wildcard to watch.
As Formula 1 heads to Baku for the seventeenth round of an increasingly compelling championship battle, the stakes remain high. McLaren’s dominance has been impressive, but it has been built on consistency rather than complete supremacy, with Piastri and Norris still pushing for every point.
The Azerbaijan GP has a reputation for reshaping championship standings in a single afternoon. With tight walls, long straights, and the ever-present threat of Safety Cars, Baku will test drivers’ skill, judgment, and composure under pressure.
When the lights go out at noon on Sunday, 51 laps of one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar await. With McLaren leading the way but four drivers still in contention for the title, Baku is set to provide another pivotal weekend in what a remarkable 2025 season has already been.
