From F1 TRACK to PUBLIC ROAD in 24 hours! — How Baku Returns to Normal After a Grand Prix

In my video I walked the empty streets of Baku 40 hours after the race and documented how a Formula 1 street circuit is dismantled and returned to everyday city life. F1 is like a circus, and when that circus leaves it takes an army of organisers, contractors and logistics teams to put everything away. What surprised me most was how quickly the city began to look like itself again. Below I’ll take you through the paddock, the pit lane, the fan zones, the fortress area and explain some of the logistics behind moving thousands of kilos of equipment around the world.

Overview: The scale of the pack-up operation

There’s a common misconception that the build and breakdown of a street circuit is a slow, lumbering process. In truth, set-up often takes weeks, but the deconstruction after the race follows a meticulously planned sequence. When I arrived on Tuesday morning — the race having finished at 17:00 on Sunday — the city already bore the signs of a massive, organised tidy-up. The pit wall barriers remained in place as the paddock was still being dismantled, and many temporary structures were being packed, boxed, and shipped away.

The Pit Lane and Paddock: From bustling hub to empty shells

The pit lane is where all the theatrical action happens during a race weekend, and it’s the first place you notice the contrast. During the event it’s all signage, branded hospitality suites and teams comings and goings. Forty hours later most of the teams’ gear had been packed up.

Important, race-critical equipment typically goes by air freight so it can reach the next event quickly. Less urgent items and large structures are loaded into sea containers and moved by sea freight. Teams maintain multiple sets of equipment that leapfrog races so that there is no need to pay exorbitant air freight costs every time — sometimes those costs can be 50 times more than sea freight.

Overhead signage from above the garages had already been dismantled and only a handful of garages were open to the pit lane. A vinyl logo on the floor — I could still spot Alex Albon’s name — acted like a small, stubborn remnant of the weekend’s identity. The kitchens and catering companies had packed away their gear, leaving the organisers’ minimal equipment behind.

Fan zones, grandstands and the return of traffic

Fan zones that were full of activity during the race weekend felt almost foreign in their quiet state. Beanbag seating remained on the grass in places, and the grandstands along the main straight were still up — a reminder that these structures take far longer to assemble and will take some weeks to dismantle.

Looking toward the media centre and the Hilton, you could see the ballroom being returned to its regular state and the press room emptied out. A row of chairs — luxury seating that looked out over the circuit — had already been collected together and would likely be stored in Baku for next year’s race.

Turn-by-turn: Streets reset to everyday use

One of the most striking things about street circuits is how they occupy normal city roads. In Baku, the transition from racetrack back to public road happens surprisingly fast. By Tuesday morning, many corners showed almost no trace of an F1 weekend at all — with the exception of the curbing paint and a few concrete barriers that still remained.

Turn 1 and the bridge

The expensive temporary pedestrian bridge at turn 1 — a structure erected specifically for the race — had already been locked up. It’s an impressive construction, but also a reminder of the cost and effort involved in converting city infrastructure for a weekend of racing.

Turn 2 and the tight left-hander

At turn 2, a tight left-hander with heavy concrete barriers and wire fencing during the weekend had almost entirely reverted to normal. There was no evidence of the spectacle that had unfolded there just a day before. I stood where I had photographed the cars during the race and appreciated the contrast between race-day light and the plainer morning lighting now.

From turn 3 to turn 5: fencing and curbs coming down

Walking from turn 2 to turn 3 I saw the roll-up of wire fencing and the early stages of cleanup. Much of the heavy fencing had already been taken down, and although some fencing remained rolled up along the roadside, you could move freely without catching clothing on the wire — a small but pleasant change for anyone used to navigating a live race circuit.

Turn 4 and the red-and-white curbing at the exit were still visible, and there were reminders of recent incidents — such as the place at turn 5 where Oscar Piastri had crashed and then walked back to the outside of the track to sit for a number of laps. These remnants of drama are peculiar to street circuits; they remain physically visible long after the event’s emotional highs and lows have passed.

Turn 6 and the ‘both-ways’ section

From the grandstand at turn 6 you can see the section of track that runs both ways during the lap — a dramatic section that produced some of my favourite photos over the weekend. When the barriers were removed, the space felt like a normal street again; the dramatic separation created for the race had collapsed into the city once more.

The fortress, turn 8 and the historical heart of Baku

The area around the old city — the fortress and the hill that leads up past it — shows the biggest transformation between race week and normal life. During the event this section is one of the most recognisable of the circuit, with fencing and small shooting windows for photographers creating iconic vantage points.

When the concrete barriers were in place, many shops along the fortress side had their front doors blocked and protection added to windows. That protection is typically heavy-duty metal sheeting installed by event organisers to shield glass from stray debris. Some of that metal remains in place for months at a time, while temporary barriers that ran up the street often come down within a day or two.

Behind the walls near the fortress there had been temporary staircases, platforms and scaffolding that allowed photographers and officials to access higher vantage points. By Tuesday those structures were gone — only metal work and traces on the ground stubbornly suggested where they had been. The grandstand in this area still showed evidence of paint applied to the track surface; removing track paint is a slower, more labour-intensive job that municipal teams and circuit crews will return to over the coming weeks.

Local voices: what the people of Baku think

I spoke briefly with local people near Nizami Street who were happy to see the event in their city. A common sentiment I heard was that the race brings international attention to Azerbaijan and encourages visitors to explore beyond the city — a lasting economic and cultural benefit. One local put it simply: the race introduces people to the beauty of the country.

Logistics snapshot: air freight, sea freight and leapfrogging gear

Logistics is the invisible backbone of any Grand Prix. Teams carry multiple sets of equipment and strategically choose air or sea freight depending on urgency and cost. Air freight is reserved for critical parts and assets needed for the next event; most of the bulk, including hospitality structures, grandstand elements and packing containers, go by sea. This leapfrogging approach avoids paying premium rates for everything and keeps the transport chain manageable across a global calendar.

What stays, what goes and what’s cleaned later

Not everything disappears the moment the last chequered flag falls. Grandstands take weeks to take down, heavy concrete barriers may stay longer for safety or logistical reasons, and painted curbing requires special cleaning to restore the road surface. But the progress in Baku was remarkable — within about 24 to 48 hours much of the city felt like itself again, ready for the hum of everyday life and normal traffic.

Final thoughts

Walking a former F1 street circuit shortly after the race is a fascinating exercise in contrasts. One day a place is filled with team personnel, hospitality suites, cameras and roaring race cars — and two days later it’s slowly reasserting its normal rhythm. The speed and efficiency with which Baku’s organisers returned the city to public use impressed me, and it’s a reminder of the massive coordination and care required to stage these events in urban centres without leaving a permanent mark.

I look forward to returning next year and seeing how the cycle repeats: build, race, dismantle, and return. For photographers and fans alike, the temporary nature of a street circuit is part of its magic — it borrows a city for a weekend and then lets it go again.

FAQ

• How long does it take to remove a street circuit after a Grand Prix?
  

  Basic traffic flow can be restored within 24 to 48 hours for many streets, but full removal of grandstands, heavy barriers and painted track surfaces can take several weeks depending on the size of the event and local logistics.

  
  
• Why do teams use sea freight instead of air freight?
  

  Sea freight is far cheaper for bulky, non-urgent items. Teams maintain multiple sets of equipment and leapfrog races so only the most time-sensitive items travel by air. In some cases air freight can cost up to 50 times more than sea freight.

  
  
• What are the main remnants left on the street immediately after a race?
  

  Typical remnants include concrete barriers, some grandstand structures, rolled-up fencing, paint from curbing and temporary signage or metal protection coverings on storefronts. Many of these are removed quickly, but paint and large structures take longer.

  
  
• Do local businesses remain closed during the race?
  

  Some shops put up protective metal sheeting over windows and may shift access points, but many remain open via alternative entrances. The event organiser often installs protection to prevent damage from debris.

  
  
• Does the city keep any of the race infrastructure for future use?
  

  Some items like seating or modular hospitality elements may be stored locally for reuse in subsequent events, but much of the equipment is transported between races or returned to team headquarters.