At the first F1 Sprint weekend of the season, Verstappen could equal Vettel’s record of Red Bull wins and Alonso could equal the record for most consecutive third places finishes. Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
THE 2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX MILESTONES
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 1,083rd World Championship event in Formula 1 history.
This will be the seventh time that Formula 1 has raced in Azerbaijan. It will be the seventh Grand Prix held at Baku City Circuit since 2016 and the sixth Azerbaijan Grand Prix since the event was first held in 2017.
This will be the first Baku City Circuit race weekend at which neither Sebastian Vettel nor Daniel Ricciardo will be on the grid. Vettel has completed every Grand Prix racing lap held so far at the circuit, meaning the first lap of Sunday’s Grand Prix will be the first that he does not complete at the track.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 186th race at which Williams have used Mercedes engines. That sees Mercedes overtake Renault as the engine manufacturer used most frequently by the Williams team.
It may be only his fourth start, but at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Nyck de Vries will move into the top ten of Dutch drivers who’ve made the most Formula 1 starts.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place 28 days after the previous round of the season in Australia. This is the first time that there has been such a long gap between races mid-season, excluding summer breaks, since the 28 day gap between the 2007 Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the first race of the 2023 season at which a Saturday Sprint race will be held. It will be the seventh F1 Sprint since the format was first used at the 2021 British Grand Prix.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will mark the first appearance of the ‘Sprint Shootout’ – a 45-minute Saturday morning qualifying session which replaces Free Practice 2.
This will be the third round of the World Championship to be held on April 30. The other races held on this day are the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix and the 2017 Russian Grand Prix.
The 44th lap of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 350th Grand Prix racing lap to take place at Baku City Circuit.
ANOTHER WIN ON THE CARDS FOR VERSTAPPEN?
Victory for Max Verstappen at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would see him equal Sebastian Vettel as the driver who has recorded the most wins with Red Bull. It would also put him equal-third in the list of most F1 wins with a single team.
A top three finish for Max Verstappen at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will see him overtake Ayrton Senna for seventh in the list of most podium finishes in Formula 1. Senna recorded 80 podiums during his career, while Verstappen recorded his 80th at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has scored at all of the last 22 races. Another top ten finish at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will put him fifth in the all-time list of the longest consecutive points-scoring streaks in Formula 1. A top ten finish would see Verstappen equal the longest scoring streak of Fernando Alonso’s career. He scored at all 23 races in a row between the 2011 European Grand Prix and the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix.
If Red Bull take victory in the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, this would be the first time since 2020 that a team has won all of the first four races of the year. It would be the 12th time that a team have achieved the feat in Formula 1 history and the first time that Red Bull have done so.
ALONSO TO FINISH ON THE PODIUM AGAIN?
Fernando Alonso has finished in third place in all of the last three races. Another third place finish for the Spaniard this weekend would see him equal the record for most consecutive third places in Formula 1. Only two drivers have previously recorded four consecutive third place finishes in F1: Heinz Harald Frentzen in 1997 and Mark Webber in 2011.
If Fernando Alonso finishes on the podium, it would be the first time he’s recorded consecutive top three finishes for four races in a row since the four races between the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.
A Q3 appearance for Fernando Alonso on Friday at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would make him the third driver – after Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel – to record 200 Q3 appearances since the qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
If Fernando Alonso wins any race this season, he will become the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since Jack Brabham at the 1970 South African Grand Prix. Brabham won that race at the age of 43 years, 11 months and 5 days.
Spain can overtake Austria for ninth in the list of most podiums for a nation in Formula 1. Austrian drivers have recorded 118 top three finishes, as have Spanish drivers. Spain will overtake Austria if Fernando Alonso or Carlos Sainz stand on the podium.
If Fernando Alonso lines up fifth on the grid, he will equal Kimi Raikkonen as the driver to have lined up fifth on the grid on the most occasions in Formula 1. Raikkonen started fifth on 39 occasions during his career.
A fifth place finish for Fernando Alonso in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix would see him equal Jenson Button for the most fifth place finishes in Formula 1. Button finished fifth on 27 occasions during his career.
THE F1 RECORDS TO BREAK
Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have the opportunity to become the first repeat winner at Baku City Circuit at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. If the circuit has a seventh consecutive different winner, it will be only the eighth circuit to not crown a repeat winner in its first seven appearances on the calendar.
All of the last six races have been won from pole position. Should the polesitter win the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it will be the first time that seven races in a row have been won from pole since the seven races between the 2019 United States Grand Prix and the 2020 British Grand Prix.
If Max Verstappen leads 44 laps of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he will become the seventh driver to have led 2,000 Grand Prix laps in Formula 1.
Should Max Verstappen out-score Fernando Alonso by 26 points over the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, he’ll overtake him for third place on the list of most points scored in Formula 1.
If Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz score 10 points between them this weekend, Spain will become the sixth nation to have scored 3,000 points in Formula 1.
If Lance Stroll scores 22 or more points this weekend, he’ll overtake Jacques Villeneuve as the Canadian driver to have scored the most points in Formula 1.
Car number 1 will overtake car number 5 as the car number to have scored the most points in Formula 1 if Max Verstappen scores nine or more points this weekend.
If both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz reach Q3, Ferrari will become the first team to record 250 double Q3 appearances.
Should both Haas drivers be eliminated in Q1, Haas will reach 100 Q1 exits since joining Formula 1 in 2016.
If both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finish on the podium, Ferrari will become the first team to record 800 podium finishes.
A points finish for Valtteri Bottas at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix would see Finland overtake Italy as the nation to have scored in the fifth most F1 races. Both nations have scored points in 417 races to date.
A podium finish for Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri would make 2023 the 50th season in which a McLaren driver has finished on the podium.
If a British driver takes pole position at any race in 2023, it would be the 20th consecutive season in which a British driver has taken pole. It would be a new record for most consecutive seasons in which a nation has taken a pole position, overtaking Britain’s long-standing record of 19 seasons with a pole position between 1955 and 1973.
An eighth place finish for Nico Hulkenberg or Carlos Sainz would see them equal Jenson Button as the driver with the most eighth place finishes in Formula 1. Button recorded his 20th and final eighth place finish at the 2016 German Grand Prix.
If Logan Sargeant picks up two points this weekend, the United States would become the tenth nation to have scored 1,000 points in Formula 1. American drivers have been stuck on 998 points since the 1993 Italian Grand Prix, when Michael Andretti scored the last points of his career with a podium finish for McLaren.
A top ten finish for Yuki Tsunoda this weekend will see him overtake Takuma Sato as the Japanese driver to have scored the second-most points in Formula 1. Kamui Kobayashi is the Japanese driver to have scored the most points, with 125.
If Nico Hulkenberg lines up seventh on the grid, he’ll equal Fernando Alonso for most seventh places on the grid. Alonso could extend the record to 27.
A 14th place finish for Lance Stroll would see him set a new record for the most 14th place finishes in Formula 1. He currently shares the record with Pastor Maldonado.
2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX: RECORDS TO BREAK
Mercedes and Red Bull are currently tied for most victories at Baku City Circuit, with three apiece. Either team could set a new outright record at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
If either Red Bull driver wins the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Red Bull will become the first team to take three consecutive victories at Baku City Circuit.
Sergio Perez holds the record for most Baku City Circuit podiums, with four. He could extend his record to five. Perez has scored the most points of any current driver in Azerbaijan and could become the first to score 100 points at the track if he secures 18 points over the race weekend. Lewis Hamilton could reach the same milestone if he scores 25 points.
Red Bull can equal Mercedes as the team with the most podiums in Baku at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix but only if both Red Bull drivers finish on the podium with neither Mercedes driver finishing in the top three.
Max Verstappen currently holds the record for most laps led in Baku, having led 65 laps. His tally of laps led here could be overtaken by Valtteri Bottas (if he leads 17 laps more than Verstappen), Lewis Hamilton (if he leads 23 more laps than Verstappen), Sergio Perez (if he leads 43 laps more than Verstappen) and Charles Leclerc (if he leads 45 laps more than Verstappen).
A top ten finish for Lewis Hamilton or Sergio Perez will see them equal Sebastian Vettel as the driver to have scored points on the most occasions in Azerbaijan. Vettel scored in all six of his appearances at the track.
No drivers has taken multiple fastest laps at Baku City Circuit. Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez could change that at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton will set a new outright record as the driver to have raced the most laps at Baku City Circuit if he completes the first lap of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Alex Albon, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda will all be hoping to maintain their 100% finishing record at Baku City Circuit. Of those drivers, Norris is the only one to score on every appearance. He’s one of only four drivers to score on every appearance here.
Zhou Guanyu will be wanting to escape the group of two other drivers (Daniil Kvyat and Sergey Sirotkin) who have a 100% retirement rate in Azerbaijan.
If he fails to finish the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen will overtake Daniil Kvyat as the driver to have recorded the most retirements at Baku City Circuit. The duo’s existing record tally of three retirements could be equalled by Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg.
Should he retire from the race, Lance Stroll will set a new record for most consecutive retirements in Azerbaijan. He’s retired at Baku City Circuit in each of the last two seasons.
Germany and Mexico are currently tied as the nations with the most podium finishes in Azerbaijan. Either nation could set a new outright record at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
2023 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING RECORDS
Charles Leclerc’s record of two pole positions could be equalled this weekend by Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas. Leclerc himself could extend the record.
Pole position for Charles Leclerc would see him extend the record for most consecutive races in Azerbaijan at which a driver has taken pole position.
Mercedes and Ferrari are the only teams to have taken pole position in Baku and either team could extend the record for most poles here to four at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
If either Ferrari driver takes pole position at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari would become the first team to have taken three successive poles at Baku City Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will be hoping to maintain their record of qualifying in the top ten in every single race at Baku City Circuit to date. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda will be hoping to stay in a group of six drivers with a 100% Q3 appearance rate in Azerbaijan. Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant could join the group.
Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen currently share the record for most Q2 eliminations at Baku City Circuit with Daniel Ricciardo. Either driver could set a new outright record at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg could equal the existing record.
Lance Stroll could set a new outright record for most Q1 exits in Baku at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Canadian shares the record of three Q1 exits with Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean. Kevin Magnussen could equal the existing record.
Britain and Monaco are currently tied as the nations to have taken the most pole positions in Baku, with two apiece. Either country could set a new outright record at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
HAMILTON SEARCHES FOR FIRST VICTORY SINCE 2021
Victory for Lewis Hamilton would see car number 44 equal car number 2 as the car number to have taken the third most wins in Formula 1.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton at any race in 2023 would see him move into the top 20 of the oldest drivers to win a Grand Prix in Formula 1. He would overtake Damon Hill as the third-oldest British driver to have won a Grand Prix.
If Lewis Hamilton wins any race this year, he’ll overtake Kimi Raikkonen as the driver to have had the longest gap between his first and last Grand Prix victories. He’d also be the first driver to have won after the 300th race of his career. Fernando Alonso would break the record if he were to take victory.
A victory for Lewis Hamilton would make him the first driver to have won in 16 different Formula 1 seasons. 2022 is the only season during his career in which Hamilton has not taken a victory.
WILL MERCEDES BE BACK IN THE FIGHT?
A victory for Mercedes would make 2023 the 12th consecutive season in which the team has won a race. They would be only the third team to win in 12 consecutive seasons, after Ferrari (1994-2013) and McLaren (1981-1993).
Pole position for Mercedes would see them become only the second team, after Ferrari between 1994 and 2008, to have taken pole positions in 12 consecutive seasons.
Victory for a Mercedes-powered car would see them become only the third engine manufacturer to have won in 17 consecutive Formula 1 seasons. The only other manufacturers to have done so are Ferrari (20 seasons, between 1994-2013) and Ford Cosworth (17 seasons, between 1967-1983).
A fastest lap for a Mercedes-powered car would see them become the second engine manufacturer to have powered 200 fastest laps in Formula 1. Ferrari are the only other engine manufacturer to have reached the milestone, having done so at the 2007 European Grand Prix.
If three Mercedes-powered cars finish on the podium, Mercedes will equal Renault’s record tally of seventeen podium lockouts for an engine manufacturer.
