Race preview: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Find out everything you need to know about Alex’s upcoming visit to Baku

Published

17 SEP 2025

Est. reading time

3 min

Alex has hit the ground running following the summer break — and he’ll be targeting a third consecutive points haul at the Azerbaijan GP.

AA23 heads to Baku on the back of two top-ten finishes in as many races, having placed P5 and P7 in Zandvoort and Monza, respectively.

That combined return of 16 points has seen him climb to seventh in the Drivers’ Standings, with an overall tally of 70 points to date.

The challenge now for Albono is to maintain that level of performance, starting with this weekend’s stint on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Previous visits to Baku

Alex came agonising closely to points in Azerbaijan on three occasions, before finally getting over the line last season.

A P11 finish with Toro Rosso in 2019 was followed by back-to-back P12s while driving for Williams in 2022 and 2023.

But 2024 proved to be a turning point, as our Thai racer placed P7 at the Baku City Circuit — part of a double-points haul for the team, with Franco Colapinto finishing just one spot behind in eighth.

“We know how difficult it is to get P9s and P10s in races, so to get P7 and P8 is luxurious and we’ll take that!” said Alex, before later adding: “We were much quicker than we expected to be compared to the top teams and it was nice to be in that fight.”

And Atlassian Williams Racing Team Principal James Vowles was full of praise for Albono following the race, saying: “Alex, absolutely incredible. Well done. P7 and well earned points. It was a brilliant race executed from start to finish.”

Track guide

There are few more dramatic locations on the Formula 1 calendar than the Baku City Circuit — a tricky street track in Azerbaijan’s coastal capital.

It boasts a number of unique features and landmarks, from a narrow run alongside Baku Fortress Wall to the Maiden Tower at Turn 12.

The venue is also renowned for its incredibly long straight and unpredictable nature, making it a true test of driver skill and precision.

A length of 6.003 km (3.73 miles) makes this the fourth-longest circuit in F1, containing a total of 20 turns.

Turns 1 and 3 offer solid overtaking opportunities, before a series of slower corners in Sector 2 as drivers navigate around the aforementioned Fortress Wall.

That leads into wider roads and the long main straight, ahead of a high speed flat-out section. Finally, a heavy braking zone heading back in Turn 1 concludes each lap.

Keep up to date

You can follow every step of Alex’s progress in Baku by tuning in to our live blog on the AA23 website and app.

After a run of races in Europe, there’s a slight shift in time zone as we move towards the borders of Asia.

Free Practice 1 begins at 12.30pm local time (AZT) on Friday, before FP2 a little later in the day at 4pm.

Saturday then sees FP3 start at 12.30pm, ahead of Qualifying at 4pm. Sunday’s main event gets underway at 3pm AZT.

Claim your Azerbaijan GP Albono!

The clock is ticking down towards the Azerbaijan GP, and our build up to Round 17 continues with the release of Alex’s latest Fan Passport stamp.

This week’s ‘Albono’ — a digital avatar of AA23 — is kitted out in pre-race warm-up gear, wearing a head harness with resistance bands for neck muscle strength training.

You can claim it via the link below now, but make sure to do so before racing concludes in Baku!

The Baku Albono 2025 is ready to collect!