Red Bull’s championship lead is under threat, Ferrari could lead a lap for the 500th race and McLaren seek to equal their second-longest podium streak. Here are the milestones and the records which could be broken at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix!
THE 2024 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX MILESTONES
The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 1,118th World Championship event in Formula 1 history.
This will be the eighth time that Formula 1 has raced in Azerbaijan. It will be the eighth Grand Prix held at Baku City Circuit since 2016 and the seventh Azerbaijan Grand Prix since the event was first held in 2017. The inaugural race at the track was run under the European Grand Prix title.
Charles Leclerc will make his 119th start with Ferrari this weekend, moving ahead of Sebastian Vettel as the driver to have made the fourth most starts with the team in Formula 1 history. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz will make his 81st start with Ferrari, moving him ahead of Michele Alboreto as the driver to have made the ninth most starts with Ferrari in Formula 1.
With this weekend marking Leclerc and Sainz’s 81st race together at Ferrari, they will equal Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen as the sixth longest-lasting team-mates in Formula 1 history.
Esteban Ocon makes his 150th Grand Prix start this weekend. He becomes the 45th driver to have started as many as 150 Grands Prix. The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will also mark his 100th consecutive start, making him the 35th driver to have started 100 consecutive races.
The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 550th round of the World Championship in which a Spanish driver has competed.
The 43rd lap of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the 400th Grand Prix racing lap to take place at Baku City Circuit since it first joined the Formula 1 calendar.
This weekend, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen become the first drivers to make eight F1 appearances in Azerbaijan.
September 15 is the latest date in the year on which a race at Baku City Circuit has taken place to date, as well as the first time that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has not been run in the month of April or June.
The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the third Formula 1 race to take place on September 15, after the 1985 Belgian Grand Prix and the 2002 Italian Grand Prix.
THE FORMULA 1 RECORDS WHICH COULD BE BROKEN
It is mathematically possible for Red Bull to lose the lead of the Constructors’ Championship at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, if McLaren out-score them by at least nine points or Ferrari out-score them by 40 points. Should they do so, it would become the first race after which Red Bull have not led the Constructors’ Championship since the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
If McLaren take the lead of the Constructors’ Championship it would be the first time they have led the title race since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. If Ferrari lead the Constructors’ Championship, it would be the first time they have done so since the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
If Red Bull slip to third in the Constructors’ Championship, it would be the first time that the team has been outside of the top two in the standings since the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.
A podium finish for Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri would make the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix the 13th consecutive race at which a McLaren driver has finished in the top three. It would be only the fourth time in the team’s history that they’ve recorded podium results at 13 successive races and would equal the team’s second-longest top three finishing streak. It would be the first time they’ve recorded 13 podiums in a row since the 13 races between the 2011 German Grand Prix and the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix.
If Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz lead a lap of the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari will become the first constructor to have led at least one lap in 500 Grands Prix throughout Formula 1 history.
Max Verstappen has never previously taken pole position at Baku City Circuit. It is one of only three tracks on the current calendar at which he has never previously taken pole, the others being Marina Bay Street Circuit and Las Vegas Strip Circuit. A pole at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would make Baku City Circuit the 23rd different track at which he has taken pole position. He would move ahead of Alain Prost and equal Sebastian Vettel for second on the list of most circuits at which a driver has taken pole in Formula 1.
Baku City Circuit is the second of four venues on the 2024 calendar at which Fernando Alonso has never previously taken a podium finish. A top three result for Alonso in the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would make Baku City Circuit the 31st different circuit at which he has finished on the podium in Formula 1. That would see him surpass Kimi Raikkonen and equal Max Verstappen for second on the list of most circuits at which a driver has taken a podium finish.
If Red Bull score a point this weekend, it would be the team’s 60th consecutive points-scoring Grand Prix. They would be only the fourth constructor – after McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes – to achieve the feat and this would be the fifth time that a team has had 60 consecutive points-scoring races.
A 1-2 finish for McLaren would mark the 50th 1-2 result in the team’s history. They would be only the third team – after Ferrari and Mercedes – to record 50 1-2 finishes.
If Max Verstappen leads every lap of the race, he will overtake Jim Clark for fourth in the list of most races led from start to end. It would be the 14th time he has done so in his career.
If Max Verstappen does not take pole position but does win the Grand Prix, he would become the fourth driver – after Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Alain Prost – to have won 30 Grands Prix without starting from the front of the grid.
At the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen joined Fernando Alonso as only the second driver to have won races from nine different grid positions. Either driver could become the first to win from ten different grid positions, while Lewis Hamilton could equal the existing record.
A 1-2 finish for Mercedes would make them the second team, after Ferrari, to record 60 1-2 finishes in Formula 1. Ferrari reached the milestone at the 2002 United States Grand Prix.
If Charles Leclerc takes pole position and fails to win, it would be the 20th time that he has done so in his Formula 1 career. That would see him overtake Nelson Piquet for fifth in the list of most failed pole to win conversions.
If Nico Hulkenberg scores more than 22 points this weekend, Germany will become the second nation – after Britain – to have scored 8,000 points in Formula 1.
A Q1 exit this weekend for Lance Stroll would see him equal Marcus Ericsson as the driver who has recorded the second most Q1 exits in Formula 1. It would be his 71st Q1 elimination.
If Sergio Perez reaches Q3, he will become the tenth driver to have recorded as many as 150 Q3 appearances in Formula 1 since the qualifying system was introduced in 2006.
THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RECORDS TO BREAK
Sergio Perez became the first repeat winner at Baku City Circuit in 2023. A victory at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would make him the first driver to win three times at the track, while Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas or Max Verstappen could equal Perez’s record of two Azerbaijan victories.
A victory for Sergio Perez would make him the first driver to take back-to-back wins in Baku.
Red Bull hold the record for most wins at Baku City Circuit, with four. Mercedes – the only other team to win to date at the track – could equal Red Bull’s record at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A win for Red Bull at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would see them extend the record for most consecutive Baku wins to four.
Mercedes and Red Bull are tied for the most podium finishes in Azerbaijan, with six apiece. Either team could set a new outright record at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Ferrari could equal the existing record.
Max Verstappen leads the way for most laps led in Baku, having spent 72 laps at the front of the field. His record could be equalled or overtaken during the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix by four drivers: Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez or Valtteri Bottas.
Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez are currently tied with Sebastian Vettel for the most points-scoring appearances at Baku City Circuit. A top ten finish for either driver would see them become the first to score points on seven occasions in Azerbaijan, while their existing shared record could be equalled at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix by Carlos Sainz or Fernando Alonso.
No driver has recorded multiple Fastest Laps at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez or Valtteri Bottas could become the first driver to do so this weekend.
Mercedes are the team with the most Fastest Laps in Baku, with three. Their record could be equalled by Ferrari or Red Bull during the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Mercedes have scored the most points of any team in Azerbaijan, with 178. Red Bull will overtake their record tally if they score 6 more points than Mercedes at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Ferrari will take the record if they out-score Mercedes by 29 points and Red Bull by 24 points.
Lewis Hamilton has completed the most Grand Prix laps of any driver in Azerbaijan, having completed all 357 laps to date here. Hamilton will be looking to keep his unbroken streak going but, should he fail to do so, Sergio Perez or Valtteri Bottas could usurp him from the top spot.
Mexico’s record of most wins for a nation in Azerbaijan could be equalled at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix by Australia, Britain, Finland, Germany or the Netherlands.
Mexico have more podium finishes than any other nation in Azerbaijan, with five. Their record could be equalled or overtaken this weekend by Britain, Finland or Germany.
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most finishes in Azerbaijan, with seven. He could extend the record this weekend, or his tally could be equalled by Sergio Perez or Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou Guanyu will be hoping to move out of a club of four drivers with a 100% non finish rate in Azerbaijan. If he does not do so, he’ll become the second driver – after Daniil Kvyat – to retire from all of his first three appearances at Baku City Circuit.
Max Verstappen could set a new record for most retirements in Azerbaijan should he fail to finish the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The existing record of three DNFs, which Verstappen shares with Daniil Kvyat, could be equalled this weekend by Carlo Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg or Zhou Guanyu.
2024 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING RECORDS
Pole position for Charles Leclerc at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix would see him extend the record for most consecutive poles at Baku City Circuit to four, while a pole for Leclerc or Carlos Sainz would see Ferrari extend the record for most consecutive team poles at the track to four.
Ferrari hold the record for most pole positions in Baku, with four. Mercedes could equal their record in qualifying for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A pole position for Charles Leclerc would make Monaco the first nation to secure four poles at Baku City Circuit, while a pole for a British driver would see Britain equal Monaco’s current record for most pole positions in Azerbaijan.
A front row lock-out for any team would mark the third front row lock-out for a team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after Red Bull in 2017 and Mercedes in 2019.
Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most front row starts in Azerbaijan, with four. He could extend the record this weekend or his existing record could be equalled by Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton are tied for most Q3 appearances in Azerbaijan , with seven apiece. Any driver could set a new outright record at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen are all tied for most Q2 exits in Azerbaijan, with three each. Any of those drivers could extend the record this weekend, while their existing tally could be equalled by Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Nico Hulkenberg or Alex Albon.
Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll are tied with Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson for the most Q1 exits in Azerbaijan. Either driver could set a new outright record this weekend, while the existing record could be equalled by Nico Hulkenberg or Pierre Gasly.
LONGEVITY RECORDS FOR ALONSO?
A win for Fernando Alonso at any Grand Prix in 2024 would make him the oldest driver to win a Grand Prix since Jack Brabham at the 1970 South African Grand Prix.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso would see him overtake Alain Prost as the driver to have taken the fourth-most podiums in Formula 1 history.
A podium finish for Fernando Alonso would make him the third driver – after Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – to record podium finishes in 15 different Formula 1 seasons.
If Fernando Alonso leads a lap of any race in 2024, he would become the first driver to have led Formula 1 races over a period longer than 20 years. Alonso first led a Grand Prix in Malaysia in 2003. He most recently led at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, just a week short of the 20th anniversary of him leading a lap for the first time in Formula 1.
Pole position at any race for Fernando Alonso in 2024 would make him the oldest polesitter since Jack Brabham at the 1970 Spanish Grand Prix.
