While the polesitter has won only two of the eight races held so far in Azerbaijan, 2nd and 8th are the only grid slots yet to record a retirement. Here’s everything you need to know about the history of each grid slot at the Baku City Circuit!
AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX GRID STATS IN BRIEF
- Polesitter has won only twice
- 2nd and 8th have never failed to finish
- Three grid slots have never scored
- 3rd has retired the most times
AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS: GRID OVERVIEW
While 14 podium finishes have come from within the top three at the Baku City Circuit, nine have come from fifth or lower. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has seen wild and unpredictable races so far in its history, with 2019 and 2023 being the only times that all of the top three on the grid finished on the podium.
| Grid | Last Win | Last Podium | Last Points | Last DNF | Best Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2019 | 2024 | 2024 | 2022 | 1st |
| 2 | 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | - | 1st |
| 3 | 2023 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 1st |
| 4 | - | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 3rd |
| 5 | - | 2024 | 2024 | 2018 | 3rd |
| 6 | 2021 | 2021 | 2024 | 2019 | 1st |
| 7 | - | 2016 | 2024 | 2018 | 3rd |
| 8 | - | 2018 | 2024 | - | 3rd |
| 9 | - | - | 2024 | 2017 | 5th |
| 10 | 2017 | 2017 | 2024 | 2019 | 1st |
| 11 | - | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2nd |
| 12 | - | - | 2022 | 2021 | 7th |
| 13 | - | - | 2022 | 2024 | 6th |
| 14 | - | - | 2021 | 2022 | 10th |
| 15 | - | - | 2024 | 2023 | 4th |
| 16 | - | - | 2018 | 2022 | 9th |
| 17 | - | - | - | 2023 | 11th |
| 18 | - | - | - | 2016 | 11th |
| 19 | - | - | 2018 | 2022 | 9th |
| 20 | - | - | - | 2018 | 11th |
- Only two wins from pole
- Four podiums in total
- One DNF – only non top 5 result
From eight previous races in Baku, the polesitter has won only twice. Nico Rosberg won from pole in dominant fashion in the inaugural 2016 event, while Valtteri Bottas won from pole in 2019.
In 2023, Charles Leclerc became only the third Baku polesitter to finish on the podium, finishing in third place. He finished as runner-up in 2024, failing to win from pole for the fourth consecutive season.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth from pole in 2017, Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc finished fourth in 2018 and 2021 respectively and Leclerc retired from pole while leading the race in 2022.
RESULTS FROM POLE POSITION AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | DNF | 3 |
- Most podium finishes
- Two wins – in 2018 and 2024
- 2021 is only point-less race
Second on the grid has supplied the most podium finishes for any grid slot at the Baku City Circuit, with six.
Two drivers have won from second on the grid here. Lewis Hamilton took the win in 2018, while Oscar Piastri won from this position in 2024.
All four of the other podium finishes have been second place results – for Valtteri Bottas in 2017, Hamilton in 2019, Sergio Perez in 2022 and Max Verstappen in 2023.
Hamilton failed to score after locking up at the first corner on the restart of the race in 2021. It remains the only time that the driver starting second has failed to score in Baku.
RESULTS FROM 2ND ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
- Won in 2022 and 2023
- 4 DNFs in 8 races
- 4 podiums in total
The driver starting third won at Baku City Circuit in both 2022 and 2023. Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from third on the grid in the last two years.
Before 2022, the grid slot’s previous best result was second place, recorded by Sebastian Vettel in 2016. The grid slot has provided one other podium – a third place for Vettel in 2019.
In 2024, Carlos Sainz recorded the fourth DNF from third on the grid in Azerbaijan after crashing on the penultimate lap with Sergio Perez.
Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas were each classified 14th in the final result having started from third in 2017 and 2018 respectively, but neither crossed the finish line. Raikkonen was sidelined with an oil leak while Bottas suffered the cruellest luck of all – picking up a puncture just three laps from the finish, while leading the Grand Prix.
In 2021, Max Verstappen led the majority of the race having started third – but he retired due to a tyre failure on the main straight.
RESULTS FROM 3RD ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 | 14 | 14 | 3 | DNF | 1 | 1 |
- One podium finish – in 2021
- Five top five results
- Three retirements
In 2021, Pierre Gasly became the first driver to finish on the podium at the Baku City Circuit having started from fourth place.
There have been three DNFs from this position. Daniel Ricciardo collided with his team-mate and retired in 2018, Carlos Sainz was out in 2022 having started here and Sergio Perez retired in the closing stages of the race in 2024 after colliding with Sainz.
Three races in Baku have resulted in the driver starting fourth finishing fourth, while Sainz finished fifth from this position in 2023.
RESULTS FROM 4TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 4 | 4 | DNF | 4 | 3 | DNF | 5 |
- Two podiums in last three years
- Two retirements
- Top 8 finishes in last 5 races
Fifth was last of the top eight grid slots to secure a podium finish in Azerbaijan. George Russell is the only driver to finish on the podium having started here. He finished third in both 2022 and 2024. They’re the only times that the driver starting here has gained positions in the race.
The driver starting from fifth retired in both 2017 and 2018. In both years, that driver was Max Verstappen. An oil pressure issue ended his afternoon early in 2017, while a collision with his team-mate in 2018 ended any hopes of finishing the race.
As for the other finishers, Felipe Massa could finish only tenth in 2016, Sergio Perez finished sixth in 2019, Carlos Sainz finished eighth in 2021 and Lewis Hamilton came home sixth in 2023.
RESULTS FROM 5TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 10 | DNF | DNF | 6 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
- Won in 2021
- Two podium finishes
- 3 DNFs in first 4 races
In the eight races so far at Baku City Circuit, the driver starting from sixth has finished five times.
Sergio Perez won from sixth on the grid in 2021, Kimi Raikkonen finished as runner-up in 2018, Pierre Gasly finished fifth in 2022, Fernando Alonso finished fourth in 2023 and Max Verstappen finished fifth in 2024.
The other races have all resulted in DNFs. Daniil Kvyat retired in 2016, Sergio Perez was out in 2017 and Kvyat failed to reach the end of the race again in 2019.
RESULTS FROM 6TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 2 | DNF | 1 | 5 | 4 |
- Finished 3rd in first race, only podium
- 2018 is only retirement
Esteban Ocon’s retirement in 2018 is the only time that the driver starting seventh at the Baku City Circuit has failed to score so far.
The first race at this track in 2016 resulted in a podium finish for Sergio Perez, who recorded this grid slot’s best result to date with third place. In 2022, Lewis Hamilton recorded the best result from here since then with fourth place.
RESULTS FROM 7TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 3 | 6 | DNF | 8 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
- Two podium finishes
- Never failed to finish
- 2022 is only non-score
Eighth is one of only six grid slots which has recorded multiple podium finishes in Baku. Lance Stroll started here in 2017, as did Sergio Perez in 2018, with both of their races culminating in taking the final podium spot.
In 2022, Yuki Tsunoda finished only 13th having started eighth. It’s the only time to date that the grid slot failed to score.
Tsunoda is the only driver to lose a position from where he started having started eighth in Baku. He started eighth again in 2023 and finished the race tenth.
RESULTS FROM 8TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 10 |
- Scored in all but one race
- Only DNF in 2017
- Best result of fifth
The driver starting ninth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has scored seven times so far, having made up positions in all of those points-scoring races.
The best finish from ninth on the grid is fifth, recorded by both Carlos Sainz in 2018 and Lando Norris in 2021.
Felipe Massa recorded the only non-score from this grid slot, retiring from the race in 2017.
RESULTS FROM 9TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 8 | DNF | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
- Furthest back grid slot to win in Baku
- Scored twice in last five races
- Only one retirement
Daniel Ricciardo took victory from tenth on the grid in the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It’s the furthest back grid position from which the race has been won.
The grid slot has had a further four points-paying races: fifth for Lewis Hamilton in 2016, eighth for Lance Stroll in 2018, seventh for Fernando Alonso in 2022 and seventh for Alex Albon in 2024.
In 2019, Ricciardo recorded the first DNF for a driver starting tenth in Baku.
RESULTS FROM 10TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 5 | 1 | 8 | DNF | 12 | 7 | 11 |
- First podium in 2021
- Three retirements
The driver starting 11th scored in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Second place for Sebastian Vettel in 2021, who recorded Aston Martin’s first ever F1 podium, marked the first time that this grid slot had scored.
Lando Norris continued the position’s points-scoring streak in 2022, finishing in ninth place, while George Russell finished eighth in 2023.
In 2024, Yuki Tsunoda recorded the third retirement for the driver starting 11th in Azerbaijan. Daniil Kvyat and Sergey Sirotkin started here in 2017 and 2018 respectively; and both were out of the race before the tenth lap.
RESULTS FROM 11TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 13 | DNF | DNF | 11 | 2 | 9 | 8 |
- Scored once in last five races
- Best result of 7th
- Only one DNF
12th on the grid scored in all of the first three races at Baku City Circuit. Nico Hulkenberg finished ninth from this grid slot in 2016, while Kevin Magnussen and Fernando Alonso each finished seventh having started 12th in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Since then the position has scored only once, with an eighth place finish for Daniel Ricciardo in 2022. Esteban Ocon became the first driver to retire from 12th on the grid in Baku during the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
RESULTS FROM 12TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 9 | 7 | 7 | 13 | DNF | 8 | 12 |
- 2024 was first DNF since 2017
- 2023 ended 4-race points streak
- 6th is best result
Both of the first two Azerbaijan races resulted in DNFs for the driver starting 13th – but the driver starting here did not record another DNF until 2024 and scored points in all but one of the interim races.
The grid slot’s four race scoring-streak ended in 2023, when Valtteri Bottas finished only 18th.
The best result for the driver lining up 13th on the grid in Baku is sixth, recorded by Charles Leclerc in 2018.
RESULTS FROM 13TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | DNF | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
- 3 DNFs in last 6 races
- Never finished above 10th
The driver starting 14th in Azerbaijan has scored twice, finishing tenth both times. Pascal Wehrlein picked up one point having started here in 2017, while Kimi Raikkonen followed suit in 2021.
Three of Baku’s eight races have resulted in retirements for the driver starting 14th: Nico Hulkenberg in 2018, Romain Grosjean in 2019 and Zhou Guanyu in 2022.
RESULTS FROM 14TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 16 | 10 | DNF | DNF | 10 | DNF | 15 |
- 2 DNFs in last 4 races
- New best result in 2024
With fourth place in the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lando Norris recorded the best result to date for the driver starting 15th in Baku. His was the first top seven finish for this grid slot, with its only other points finish being an eighth place result for Carlos Sainz in 2017.
George Russell recorded the first retirement from 15th on the grid in Baku in 2021, while Zhou Guanyu recorded its second DNF in 2023.
RESULTS FROM 15TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 12 | 8 | 13 | 14 | DNF | 11 | DNF |
- Only points in 2018
- Recorded one DNF, in 2022
The driver starting 16th on the grid in Azerbaijan has scored only once. The best result for a driver starting here is ninth, scored by Stoffel Vandoorne in 2018.
In 2022, Kevin Magnussen became the first driver to record a retirement from this position.
RESULTS FROM 16TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 18 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 16 | DNF | 13 |
- No points scored
- Best result of 11th
- No retirements since 2016
No points have yet been scored by the driver starting 17th in Azerbaijan. The first race here resulted in a retirement for Pascal Wehrlein.
While they haven’t scored, the driver starting here has moved at least three positions up the order in all of the last seven Baku races.
The best result from here so far is 11th place for Marcus Ericsson in 2017.
RESULTS FROM 17TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 14 |
- Never scored, best finish is 11th
- Two retirements – in 2016 and 2023
The driver lining up 18th has never scored in Baku. In 2019, the grid slot was vacant for the first time as three drivers started from the pit-lane.
The first race in Baku resulted in a retirement for Carlos Sainz, who lined up 18th. Stoffel Vandoorne finished 12th in 2017, Marcus Ericsson finished 11th in 2018, Nikita Mazepin finished 14th in 2021, Nicholas Latifi finished 15th in 2022, Nyck de Vries recorded the grid slot’s second DNF in 2023 and Pierre Gasly finished 12th in 2024.
RESULTS FROM 18TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| DNF | 12 | 11 | – | 14 | 15 | DNF |
- Scored twice
- 2018 is last time grid slot finished
The driver starting 19th has failed to finish in both the 2021 and 2022 Azerbaijan Grands Prix. A tyre failure for Lance Stroll eliminated him from the 2021 race and he retired again in 2022 having started from the same position.
The driver starting from the lowly 19th grid slot has scored points twice, in 2017 and 2018. Jenson Button gained eight places in the 2016 event to finish 11th, while Fernando Alonso and Brendon Hartley both finished in the last two points-paying positions from this grid slot in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
As there were two pit lane starters in 2019, 2023 and 2024, the grid slot has been left clear three times.
RESULTS FROM 19TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 11 | 9 | 10 | – | DNF | 16 | – |
- No points scored
- 11th is best result
- Two retirements
While Azerbaijan has provided chaotic races in recent seasons, the driver starting from the back hasn’t benefited points wise.
Both Jolyon Palmer in 2017 and Romain Grosjean in 2018 failed to finish the race having started 20th, the latter being memorably forced off the circuit by Marcus Ericsson (at least according to Grosjean’s race engineer, before replays showed the Frenchman had mysteriously driven into the wall of his own accord under Safety Car conditions).
Talking of Ericsson, the Swede was the only driver to have actually finished the Baku race having started from 20th until 2021, when Antonio Giovinazzi finished in 11th place. Mick Schumacher came home 14th having started 20th in 2022.
This grid slot was left clear due to pit lane starters in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
RESULTS FROM 20TH ON THE GRID AT THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 17 | DNF | DNF | – | 11 | 14 | – |
There have been eight pit lane starts at the Baku City Circuit so far, including three in 2019.
Kimi Raikkonen scored a point having started from the pit-lane in 2019, while Pierre Gasly retired. Lewis Hamilton recorded the best result to date for a pit lane starter at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2024, finishing ninth.
The other five pit lane starts all resulted in point-less finishes.
