TREMAYNE: Baku is Hamilton’s bogey track – now would be the perfect time for his luck to change

F1 Hall of Fame journalist David Tremayne looks back at Lewis Hamilton's surprising struggles in Azerbaijan, ahead of the seven-time champ's first race there for Ferrari.

Hall of Fame F1 JournalistDavid Tremayne
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 06: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas

When you think of Lewis Hamilton’s 105 career victories, it’s perhaps remarkable that Baku has only once granted him outright success. And when it came back in 2018, it was his luckiest, gifted to him by the ill fortune which struck Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas…

If any circuit can said to be ‘unlucky’ for Hamilton, Baku is thus definitely close to the top of the list.

Of course, the race everyone remembers was one of his worst career moments and came in 2021, as he and Max Verstappen were locked in their last battle to date for the World Championship.