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F1 has extended its contract with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which has been held at the Baku City Circuit every year since 2016.
The famous city track will be on the F1 calendar till the end of the 2026 season. That's huge news for the organisers, as the sport has been targeting to have more races outside the regular venues.
As per Motorsport.com, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said:
"The Baku City Circuit has become a hugely popular venue for Formula 1. It is an incredible circuit that always delivers huge drama and has played host to some of the most exciting races in recent memory. We are delighted to extend our relationship with the country of Azerbaijan and look forward to continuing our growth together."
Azerbaijan's minister of youth and sports, Farid Gayibov, was also thrilled to continue their partnership with the sport:
"We are thrilled to confirm our continued partnership with Formula 1. Ever since we hosted this event in 2016, the economic, social and cultural impact of the sport on our city and country has been remarkable. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a source of great pride for the whole country and will now continue to inspire and excite our fans for a further three years."
“I think everything was going quite well; the pace was good" - F1 world champion
While analysing his performance in the inaugural 'sprint shootout', Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said that he was happy with his pace and that everything went smoothly for him.
Speaking to F1.com, the reigning two-time world champion said:
“I think everything was going quite well. I think the pace was good. But in Q3, in the first run on the soft, I had a big moment in (Turn) 5, 6, and because of that the tyres were really hot, and then I also had a moment in 7.
"On the peak lap, with the most grip, we had a terrible sector two, so that was not fantastic. We managed to do another lap, which not many other people seemed to be able to pull out. I think the pace is good, it’s just a bit unfortunate to be P3.”
Verstappen concluded:
“With this heat and how the tyres are behaving, I think it’s not going to be a straightforward sprint. Some tracks, you can just set off, and it’s fine. Here, maybe a bit of tyre management comes into play, so there’s still all to fight for.”
It will be interesting to see if Verstappen can gain places and notch up another win in the sprint format.
