Sebastian Vettel insists the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a notable event for him despite the German having a chequered history at the Baku City Circuit.

The four-time world champion has scored three podiums in Baku including a memorable second place for Aston Martin in 2021 but threw away a likely victory in 2018 with a late lock up at Tun 1.

Vettel also caused controversy in 2017 after colliding with title rival Lewis Hamilton at the Safety Car restart harming his chances of victory.

The 34-year-old said: “It’s great to be back at Baku. It has been one year since I took my first podium with Aston Martin at this track, so this is a special race for me."

He also expressed interest into how the new generation of cars will handle the streets of Baku.

He said: “It will be interesting to see how the new cars adapt to the circuit, especially with the mix of fast and slow speeds around the straights and tight corners, but I am ready to get back out in Azerbaijan.”

After he missed the opening two rounds of the season with COVID-19 Vettel has been very impressive out-performing his team mate Lance Stroll.

Stroll performed admirably in Azerbaijan in 2017 securing his maiden F1 podium for Williams. Although a dramatic tyre failure during the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ended his hopes of a strong finish.

The Canadian is anticipating Baku and looking to bounce back from a sub par weekend in The Land of Fire last season.

The 23-year-old said: “Last year was a tricky race for me, despite the overall success of the team, but I am ready to take on this circuit again. 

“The mix of long straights and tighter corners require a careful set-up compromise, so it will be interesting to see how these new rules work. I’m excited to see how we can perform this time around.”