High speeds through a medieval city - F1 returns to the streets of Baku in Azerbaijan

Formula 1 is back! After what felt like an eternity, the sport's month-long break after just three races is finally over, and we are headed to Baku, Azerbaijan, for the next instalment in what's turning out to be an epic 2023 season.

This break wasn't intended to be this long, as China was supposed to slot in between the last race in Australia and this weekend. But the country's continuous Covid-19 complications and lockdown implementations meant the race was scrapped off the calendar for a third successive year.

Unfortunately, due to the logistical nightmares it would have caused, the sport opted not to fill the vacated slot, leaving F1 fans with the four-week break.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place this weekend, 28-30 April.

About the circuit

The Azerbaijan GP is run on the streets of the country's capital, Baku. Until the race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the GP was the newest street race on the calendar, joining the ranks of Monaco, Melbourne, and Singapore.

The first event was staged in 2016 as the European GP, with the Azerbaijan GP being inaugurated in 2017.

READ: Ricciardo back at the races, but not Baku where 2018 clash with Max signalled Red Bull exit

The 6.003km circuit winds through the Icheri Sheher old town and the city's medieval city walls, running over 51 laps for a race distance of 306.049km. Drivers can reach a top speed of around 350km/h as they brake into Turn 1, building speed from the exit of Turn 16 through Turn 20 and across the start/finish line.

In 2019, Charles Leclerc, in his first year with Ferrari, set the lap record with a 1:43.009.

The circuit has two DRS zones, the first between Turns 2 and 3 and the second between Turn 20 and Turn 1.