Dance music superstar Hardwell and Dutch DJ Don Diablo will headline the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, race organisers at Baku City Circuit have announced.
Organisers of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix have announced that two Dutch DJs will perform over the race weekend, with Hardwell and Don Diablo added to the entertainment line-up.
Named the World Number 1 DJ for two consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, Hardwell has received international acclaim as a DJ and music producer. ‘Sapceman’, ‘Apollo’ and ‘Run Wild’ are among Hardwell’s best-known tracks, while Rihanna, Calvin Harris, U2 and Coldplay are just some of the acts who’ve had their word remixed by Hardwell. Hardwell will perform after the conclusion of the F1 Sprint on Saturday April 29 from 22:00 (10pm).
This won’t be the first time that Hardwell has performed at a Formula 1-related event. In 2016, he became the first DJ to perform a solo set at the Hockenheim circuit, the former host of the German Grand Prix. He also played on the podium at the conclusion of the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix
Don Diablo added to 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix line-up
Hardwell is joined by fellow Dutch DJ Don Diablo on the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix line-up. Don Diablo will perform after qualifying on Friday evening from 22:00 (10pm). Like Hardwell, Don Diablo also has previous experience of performing at a Formula 1 weekend, having taken to the stage at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix marks the first time that trackside concerts have taken place at Baku City Circuit since 2019. The 2020 race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the 2021 event went ahead behind closed doors. In 2022, fans returned to the grandstands but coronavirus-related restrictions prevented concerts from taking place.
New venue for Azerbaijan’s trackside concerts
In previous years, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has attracted multiple megastars to perform across the race weekend. Cardi B, Mariah Carey and Jamiroquai have all performed at the event in recent seasons. It’s yet to be announced if any further headline acts will be added to the line-up at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
What has been confirmed, however, is that the concerts will take place at a different venue in 2023. In previous years, since 2018, the post-race concerts were held at Baku’s Crystal Hall. The Arena opened in 2012 and is famed for hosting that year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Instead, in 2023, the concerts will take place as part of the entertainment program hosted on the big stage located in the F1 Fan Zone, situated in the Seaside Boulevard area. Speaking about the return of trackside concerts, Turab Teymurov, National Press Officer of the Baku City Circuit Operations Company (BCC), said:
“We are pleased to announce to the public that the world-famous star who will visit Baku as part of the entertainment program that will be organized on the big stage located in the Seaside Boulevard area. I am sure that after the pandemic, with the long-awaited concert’s return to the format of the competition, fans will be even more excited about the race. We, in our turn, can’t wait to celebrate the seventh return of the Formula 1 race with great enthusiasm.”
Sprint race and Formula 2 on the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule
Baku City Circuit first appeared on the Formula 1 schedule in 2016, under the European Grand Prix title. It became the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017 and has since gained a reputation as one of the most exciting races of the season.
There’ll be additional racing action at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the race hosting the first of six sprint races this season. The additional race means that the traditional qualifying hour moves to Friday evening, before the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix is decided by a 30-minute sprint race on Saturday.
Formula 2 will also be in action over the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend. With four winners from the four races held so far in 2023, plus a highly talented roster of up and coming drivers, Formula 1’s feeder series usually provides as much exciting racing as the Grand Prix itself, if not more!
Tickets remain available for 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has one of the lowest attendance figures of the Formula 1 season. 85,000 attended over the 2019 race weekend, compared to figures in excess of 300,000 at some of the larger events.
Tickets remain available for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with a wide range of grandstand seats available in our ticket shop. Ticket packages are also available via F1 Experiences, including access to the Formula 1 Paddock Club.
Will you be attending the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix? Leave a comment below!
Header image: Kike7x, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Other images: © F1Destinations.
