When was the first Azerbaijan GP held? Who won that race?

When was the first Azerbaijan GP held? Who won that race?

As we gear up for the ninth Grand Prix of the Formula 1 2022 season in Baku–the capital city of Azerbaijan, let us brush up on some facts and figures related to the Azerbaijan GP. First held in 2017, this race is hosted in the famous Baku City Circuit. This racing circuit has been a regular venue for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 2017 till 2019, and the race was cancelled in 2020 amid concerns due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

As a relatively new addition to the Formula 1 calendar, the Azerbaijan GP has never seen any repeat winner, which means that each year, a new F1 racer has won the race here. And the winner of the first-ever Azerbaijan GP is none other than the Australian racing talent Daniel Ricciardo, who used to race for Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the time.

In 2016, the European Grand Prix for the F1 calendar was held at Baku, and later it became home to the Azerbaijan GP from the next year. In 2017, the trend of introducing some street circuits to rile up the competition between the racers was setting in, and the FIA decided to keep Baku as one of the five street circuits to hold a Grand Prix that year.

Read More: WATCH: George Russell spotted with his gorgeous girlfriend courtside enjoying a Miami Heat game

All you might want to know about the first-ever Azerbaijan GP held in Baku in 2017

Azerbaijan Grand Prix in the Baku City Circuit
Azerbaijan Grand Prix in the Baku City Circuit

Held in June 25, 2017, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had caused quite a lot of excitement amongst the fans because of its incredible City Circuit, that is over 6 km long, with some amazing twists and turns. And in the first-ever Qualifying Session in Baku, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had gotten the pole position, and he was followed by his then-teammate Valtteri Bottas, and Kimi Raikkonen, who was driving for Ferrari at the time, came in the third position.

During the main race, Lewis Hamilton had gotten a fast start, thus leading the pack, followed by Bottas, Raikkonen, and Vettel. Daniel Ricciardo, who would eventually win the race, started the Azerbaijan GP from the 10th position only.

During turn 3 of the first lap, Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas crashed into each other’s cars, and that ended their run in the Azerbaijan GP. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sebastian Vettel went up to the second place, followed by Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. On lap 12, Verstappen had to retire due to some reliability issues, while Daniel Ricciardo pitted and joined in the 17th place as he had debris on his tyres.

In the meantime, safety car was deployed for Daniil Kvyat’s car, which was still stranded, and had to be removed from the tracks. Daniil Kvyat had ran wide in the first lap of the race itself. After the safety car ended, another one was announced immediately to remove some more debris which came from Raikkonen’s Ferrari. During this safety car, Vettel ran into the back of Hamilton’s car, damaging the rear diffuser and front wing of the Mercedes.

After this incident, racing resumed again, and this time, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon ran into each other, and that called for a third safety car as Ocon fell to the back of the grid, and Perez retired from the race. Kimi Raikkonen, whose car had suffered damage from Ocon and Perez’s crash, had to retire as well.

Due to excessive debris on the tracks, the race was red flagged. And when it was resumed, Hamilton led ahead of Vettel, Massa, Stroll, and Ricciardo. Ricciardo was able to overtake both Massa and Stroll in turn 1 itself and settled into the third spot.

Eventually, Hamilton had issues with his headrest which had come loose, so he had to pit for safety reasons. And Vettel was given a massive stop/go penalty of 10 seconds due to his previous incident with Hamilton. And this meant that Daniel Ricciardo came to lead the race, from the tenth position where he had started the race from.

In the end, Daniel Ricciardo comfortably cruised to victory in the Azerbaijan GP, gifting Red Bull their first win in the 2017 season, and he was followed by Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll.

Read More: Pierre Gasly gives a glimpse of his “unforgettable dinner” with NBA legend, Michael Jordan in Miami

Read More: Sebastian Vettel to not appear on F1 TV shows: “I’m not going to be a TV pundit.”