Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Course: Baku City Circuit
Course Length: 6.00km
Laps: 51
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Race Preview
Kimi Antonelli continued his impressive march toward the Drivers' Championship with a win in the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring. He got there with the benefit of a somewhat controversially timed Virtual Safety Car, but Antonelli took advantage and continued to extend his lead atop the drivers' standings. Before the intervention, Lando Norris was comfortably the fastest car and remains in strong form. Though both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remain ahead of him in the standings, Norris arguably enters the weekend in the second-best form on the grid.
Shifting down the grid, Racing Bulls and Alpine have separated themselves in the midfield and the biggest threats to reach points. That's particularly true with Isack Hadjar back from injury, meaning Liam Lawson will be back with Racing Bulls. Audi has also managed to nab some points in recent races, so there should be battles throughout the grid in Baku.
Key Stats at the Baku City Circuit
- Races: 9
- Winners from pole: 3
- Winners from top-5 starters: 7
- Winners from top-10 starters: 9
Previous Baku Winners
2025- Max Verstappen
2024 - Oscar Piastri
2023 - Sergio Perez
2022 - Max Verstappen
2021 - Sergio Perez
2019 - Valtteri Bottas
2018 - Lewis Hamilton
2017 - Daniel Ricciardo
2016 - Nico Rosberg
As its name implies, the Baku City Circuit is a temporary street course. Along with that comes some of the more typical challenges of street courses, including narrow and technical sections. That's particularly true late in the first sector and second sector, where the track narrows and becomes more technical.
The track will also take time to gain grip. Given that the course serves as a normal road for nearly the entire year, there is minimal rubber on the track. That means mistakes are more likely to come early in the weekend. Oscar Piastri was a victim in last year's qualifying. That's again particularly true at Turns 2,3 and 4, where the asphalt has been resurfaced since last year.
Baku is typically a low-stress track on tires. Expect most teams to execute a one-stop race.
RotoWire Formula 1 DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kimi Antonelli - $14,000
Lando Norris - $12,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
George Russell - $12,000
Charles Leclerc- $10,400
Lewis Hamilton - $10,000
Max Verstappen - $9,600
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Liam Lawson - $5,800
Pierre Gasly - $5,600
Arvid Lindblad - $5,400
Franco Colapinto - $5,200
Nico Hulkenberg - $5,000
Gabriel Bortoleto - $4,800
DraftKings Tier 4 Values
Alex Albon - $4,000
Sergio Perez - $3,400
DraftKings Constructor Values
Mercedes - $13,500
Ferrari - $12,700
Red Bull - $7,900
Alpine - $3,900
Racing Bulls - $3,700
Audi - $3,300
Optimal DraftKings Lineup for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Team Captain – George Russell - $18,000
Pierre Gasly - $5,600
Arvid Lindblad - $5,400
Alex Albon - $4,000
Sergio Perez- $3,400
Constructor- Mercedes - $13,500
There's significant risk to building through Russell considering his recent form. That's particularly true given his subpar form relative to not only Antonelli, but also Norris. Nevertheless, Russell had a strong first day at the circuit and does come at a big discount to Antonelli. Norris would be a relatively easy pivot based on price, pending the results of qualifying.
Rostering Antonelli would be a pretty obvious way to build, but it would require paying down to a lower-end Constructor. There are some decent choices, with Alpine and Racing Bulls looking likely to be the best.
Barring any major surprises in qualifying, the build should be relatively straightforward given the likelihood of either Norris, Antonelli or Russell serving as the centerpiece of the lineup. If there isn't a clear advantage for Antonelli or Russell, one possibility is building through Mercedes at Constructor. Verstappen is trustworthy to get the most out of his car, so he's a decent alternative and would open enough savings to build an otherwise solid roster.
The midfield options remain the same as they have for most of the season. The exception is at Williams. The team remains well off pace and won't contend for points barring a shocking change of circumstance, but Albon has shown improved pace relative to Sainz. That makes him a decent value option. Any optimism for Aston Martin after their upgrade earlier in the summer is gone, leaving Sergio Perez as the only truly viable punt option.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Friday
Podium Finish – Lando Norris (+250)
Top 6 Finish – Isack Hadjar (+150)
Given that there's seemingly a three-way battle for the race win, "Race Winner" is a wager I'd avoid until later in the weekend. There's no clear value, between the three favorites, so waiting shouldn't cause much harm. It's not clear that Mercedes still has a pace advantage over McLaren, which makes betting on Russell as a top-two finisher a risky selection. However, his strong start to the weekend is enough for me to consider it.
Norris as a podium finisher looks to be a safer option, albeit with worse odds. Hadjar will battle rust, but he's still a strong option to back to bank at least some solid points this weekend.
Mapping out your wagers for the Formula 1 race? Check out the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes to get special offers and make the most of your bets.
