Britain advises against travel to Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia during Formula 1

One consequence of the Iran war has been major turmoil to the international sports calendar and Formula 1 is no different. Even so, F1 is racing this week in Azerbaijan, which borders Iran, AP News writes.

The Baku City Circuit hosting Saturday’s race is around 105 miles (170 kilometers) from the nearest point on Azerbaijan’s southern border with Iran. That’s closer than the tracks in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia which had races called off earlier this year.

F1’s headquarters are in London and many teams and staff are based in Britain, which means British travel advice is influential in the paddock.

Britain advises against travel to Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia or areas affected by armed conflict in the past — especially because of a risk of landmines — but those areas aren’t near the capital, Baku.

As it is noted, Azerbaijan is marking 10 years since its first F1 race but this year’s event is a little different.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is taking place on a Saturday because Sunday is a national holiday, so called, ‘’Remembrance Day’’.

Sept. 27 is the anniversary of the date in 2020 when fighting broke out over the region of Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan later took full control of the region in 2023.