© Getty ImagesYour Cultural Guide To BakuRace Week returns - this time on the shores of the Caspian, in Azerbaijan’s Land of Fire.
IT’SCORN!!!!!!!ITHASTHEJUICE!!!!!!ICAN’TIMAGINEAMOREBEAUTIFULTHING(apartfromraceweek)!!!!!
Brb, trying to find a connection between sweetcorn and Azerbaijan…
Why?
Only because Liam and Isack put their meme knowledge to the test with Red Bull Junior drivers Arvid Lindblad and Pepe Martí. Check out who was crowned the ULTIMATE MEME LORD here.
(Admin’s note: Azerbaijan imports much of its sweetcorn from Hungary and China, keeping on-brand with the F1 calendar.)
In case you hadn’t already guessed: yes, it’s race week, and yes, we’re in Baku for the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2025.
Tricky track, this one. No wonder race week has us looking like this.
In typical VCARB style, we don’t want you to come all the way to Baku and not have a clue what to do with yourselves, so we’ve devised a handy-dandy guide of the dos and don’ts during your visit.
From fab food to timely travel, we’ve got it all for you, right here, right now.
This is VCARB’s Cultural Guide to Baku (and just like corn, it’s got the JUICE).
Baku is the largest (and capital) city of Azerbaijan and holds the crown for the lowest and largest city in the world below sea level (sitting 28 metres below). Roughly ¼ of Azerbaijan’s 10 million residents live in Baku, and it’s the country’s cultural, social and economic hub. Being on the coast, Baku is subjected to a lot of extreme coastal weather and has adopted the nickname ‘City of Winds’.
Close To Living© Getty Images
In the early 20th century, Baku was the home of the oil industry. It was estimated that almost ½ of the world’s oil had been drilled in Baku, and the city’s population boomed. In fact, Baku’s population grew at a faster rate than London, Paris, New York and Tokyo during the late 19th century.
At the end of the 20th century and following the fall of the Soviet Union, Baku underwent significant redevelopment, including the construction of parks and gardens, to bring the city up to the standards of its Western counterparts and make it one of the most important economic and cultural cities in the world.
Baku has become one of the must-visit cities in the world, bursting at the seams with entertainment, beauty and history. Baku Old City will look familiar to us fellow F1 fans, as it’s the part of the track that winds around the incredible medieval architecture and past the Baku Fortress Wall.
Castle View© Getty Images
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Centre is the home to Azerbaijan’s cultural programs and isn’t a bad-looking building on its own merit. From classic car collections to showcasing interactive musical exhibitions, this one’s worth a visit while you’re here.
Then, of course, there’s the Baku Boulevard. Not only is it the start/finish straight of the Grand Prix, it’s a premium shopping complex, complete with stunning architecture and snazzy light displays. Well worth a visit.
Baku is known as the ‘Paris of the East’ thanks to its blend of modern and medieval architecture. The city is scattered with art and history museums, and theatre fans won’t be short of something to watch. Music is a huge part of Baku. Mugham, a blend of classical poetry and musical improvisation, has been recognised by UNESCO as one of the most significant music genres of humanity. Baku is also synonymous with modern pop, rock and jazz, with the latter genre having an annual festival in Baku every October.
Sunset Paradise© Getty Images
Also, fun fact! Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and then Baku hosted the 2012 show.
While you’re here, you have to try the local dishes, including Plov (saffron rice), Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with mincemeat) and Piti (lamb and chickpea soup). And once you’ve done that, wash them down with a Baklava (sweet pastry) and a black tea, the nation’s favourite beverage.
We’re biased, obvs, but Baku hosts an F1 race, and we think it’s pretty cool. The Baku city circuit is 20 turns and 3.7 miles of tight, angular street racing. It’s the fourth-longest track on the calendar and was designed by Hermann Tilke to circulate around Baku’s finest architecture and along the coast.
Cruising The Streets© Getty Images
Aside from Formula One, Baku is one of the leading chess centres, producing some of the finest grandmasters in the game’s history. The Baku Olympic Stadium has also held some of the largest international tournaments, including Europa League finals and European Taekwondo Championships.
So, what stands before us and 51 laps on Sunday? Well, media day, of course (look forward to that!). We’ll be sure to deliver you the finest Lisack content in the run-up to FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2025.
See you there.
VCARB admin signing off.
BOSH.
