Azerbaijan Grand Prix

September 15, 2024, at home

I am watching live coverage of the seventeenth race of the 2024 Formula 1 racing season. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is being broadcast on Sky Sports F1 (on a feed to ESPN). The race started at 3 p.m. local time (7 a.m. Eastern Time in the United States).

Below is a diagram of the Baku City Circuit through the streets of Baku, Azerbaijan. Almost all of the races are on actual circuits (tracks), so this street circuit is relatively rare. Each circuit around the world has a different configuration, therefore a different dynamic, regarding turns and elevation fluctuations. As you can see, this circuit is particularly challenging.

This season's 24-race schedule is as follows: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan, China, Miami, Italy, Monaco, Canada, Spain, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy (different circuit), Azerbaijan, Singapore, Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

The first two races this season (in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia) were held on Saturdays due to the Islamic observance of Ramadan. All other races will be held on Sundays, as usual, except for the Las Vegas Grand Prix which will also be held on Saturday.

Before each race, there are two days of practice/qualifying. The races run every week or every other week from March into December.

In Formula 1 racing, there are 20 (male) drivers, with one driver from the United States. There are 10 teams (with two drivers on each team), so not only do drivers compete against their rivals, but they also compete against their teammates. There are two championships: one for the drivers and one for the constructor teams.

This season, as with last season, there are three races in the United States. In fairly recent years, there were no drivers from the United States and no races in the United States.

Formula 1 racing is the only sport that I actively follow. I have been a fan for decades. I watched my first F1 race decades ago on television at the home of one of my many Austrian cousins while on vacation in Austria.