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Over the race weekend, Formula 1 in Baku attracted nearly 90,000 attendees. That’s how many people watched the races, visited the pit lane, the fan zone, and the concerts.
A record number of tourists visited Azerbaijan – over 14,000. And that doesn’t include media representatives. Around 300 local and international media representatives covered the Grand Prix from the ground up.
Beyond the races themselves, an equally important event last week was the extension of the contract between Azerbaijan and Formula 1. The “Queen of Motorsport” will remain in Baku until 2030. Azerbaijan needs Formula 1, which annually attracts huge numbers of tourists to Baku. And the constantly surprising Azerbaijan Grand Prix is essential for Formula 1’s leadership and the hundreds of millions of its fans worldwide. It’s hard to imagine Formula 1 today without the race in Baku.
Where else would you see six red flags during a qualifying session?! Due to numerous collisions, the race had to be stopped six times. This had never happened before! As a result, qualifying lasted 58 minutes longer than it should have lasted an hour.
Future 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen won his first career pole position in Baku. As for the main race, the failure of last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner and current season leader, Australian Oscar Piastri, predetermined a significant outcome. He hit the wall on the first lap, and no one else was able to resist Verstappen. George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who finished second and third respectively, fell significantly behind.
A few words about organizational matters. Twelve hours had passed since the podium finishers received their awards and bathed each other in champagne, and the roads on the central streets of Baku were already open. For the first time in the nine years that Formula 1 has been held in Azerbaijan, traffic restrictions were lifted so quickly. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that for several years now, some closed roads adjacent to the track have been reopened to traffic during rush hour during race week.
Given the increased interest, this year the number of trackside grandstands was increased to 12, and the total spectator capacity exceeded 20,000. The star-studded concerts at Crystal Hall on Friday and Saturday also generated considerable excitement. Italian-American DJ Anyma brought electronic music to the Baku public and visitors in all its glory. The following day, the renowned indie rock band Glass Animals performed, passing the baton to renowned Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.
Source: Haqqin
