Since its debut on the Formula 1 calendar in 2016, the spectacular street circuit in Baku has been a stage for thrilling races, extensive car damage, brutal crashes, and clashing egos. From the clash between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel to loose manhole covers and colliding Bulls, we’ve compiled Baku’s Greatest Hits for you, with part 2 today.
2019: ‘I am stupid’
“I am stupid,” echoes in 2019 during Q2 of the qualification with the French accent of Charles Leclerc over the radio, after he crashes his Ferrari into the barrier at turn eight with a good lock-up. “I am stupid,” grumbles Ferrari’s crown prince to himself three times. As a Monegasque, you would expect Leclerc to be used to tearing through narrow city streets, but he makes a significant blunder in downtown Baku. “The pole might have been possible here, but I just blew it.”
2019: Manhole Cover
2019 is a disaster year for Williams. The car is bad, there is hardly any money, and spare parts are scarce. When a manhole cover comes loose during the first training and shatters the bottom of George Russell‘s car, deputy team boss Claire Williams is ‘extremely irritated’. “This can’t be!” The fact that the organization in Baku immediately promises to pick up the bill offers some consolation. Given the precarious situation in which Williams finds itself that year, it is at least inconvenient that Russell’s teammate Robert Kubica also writes off an FW42. He does this by forcefully parking his car into the wall at turn eight. “I should have kept a bit more margin, because I almost crashed a few laps earlier.” Not handy.
2023: A Dramatic Turn
For Nyck de Vries, an already disappointing race weekend ends with an unnecessary retirement. Despite a seemingly good strategy and impressive speed, he makes a mistake by hitting the wall on the inside of one of the turns. This damages his left front wheel and he is unable to continue. It’s particularly regrettable as the AlphaTauri performs well in Baku and both De Vries and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda show speed. However, two crashes, first in the qualification and then in the race, ultimately result in a dramatic weekend for De Vries.
2024: Heart Attack
During the penultimate lap of the Grand Prix, things go wrong between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Pérez. They collide in a duel for P3 and crash hard into the wall. Both drivers are unharmed, but the same cannot be said for the Mexican’s father. The crash is too much for Antonio Pérez Garibay and he is rushed to the hospital. Under the supervision of doctors, he is allowed to leave the hospital a few days later. “It all happened after the accident in Baku,” says Pérez senior. “The shock of the crash could have caused this.”
