Entering the event, Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship by six points over Valtteri Bottas. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes held a 57-point lead over Ferrari. The race marked the third time the event was held under the Azerbaijan Grand Prix title and the fourth time the Baku City Circuit appeared on the World Championship calendar, following its debut as the European Grand Prix in 2016.
The first practice session was cancelled by race director Michael Masi after only 12 minutes of running. The Williams of George Russell sustained heavy damage after striking a loose drain cover between turns two and three, which had been loosened by Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. During the recovery, the truck towing Russell's car struck a pedestrian bridge, leaking hydraulic fluid onto the car and the track. Williams was forced to replace Russell's chassis, causing him to miss the second practice session.
In the second session, Charles Leclerc set the fastest time, though the session was interrupted by crashes from Lance Stroll at turn 2 and Daniil Kvyat at turn 7. Pierre Gasly was ordered to start the race from the pit lane after failing to stop for weighing and instead returning to his garage for a practice pit stop. Leclerc again led the third practice session ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Qualifying was marked by two significant accidents at the same location. In the first session, Robert Kubica crashed his Williams into the wall, and in the second session, Charles Leclerc crashed into the same wall. Following his accident, Leclerc remarked over the radio, "I am stupid."
Valtteri Bottas secured pole position with a lap time of 1:40.495, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.059 seconds. Sebastian Vettel qualified third. Several drivers faced penalties or exclusions: Antonio Giovinazzi received a ten-place grid penalty for using a third set of control electronics, while Kimi Räikkönen was excluded for a failed front wing deflection test. Pierre Gasly was excluded for exceeding the 100 kg/h fuel flow limit. Kubica, Räikkönen, and Gasly were all required to start from the pit lane due to various technical changes and infringements.
The race began without incident on the opening lap. Lewis Hamilton challenged Valtteri Bottas for the lead through turns 1 and 2, but Bottas maintained his position on the outside. Further back, Sergio Pérez overtook Max Verstappen for fourth, while Charles Leclerc dropped to 10th. Verstappen regained fourth on lap 6, and Leclerc moved up to fifth by lap 7 before overtaking Verstappen on lap 9.
The leaders began pitting on lap 11, with Vettel stopping first. Bottas followed on lap 12, and Hamilton on lap 13. This briefly gave the lead to Leclerc, who had started on a different tyre strategy. On lap 14, Robert Kubica was issued a drive-through penalty because Williams had released him into the pit lane earlier than permitted at the start.
On lap 31, Bottas overtook Leclerc to retake the lead. Shortly after, a collision occurred at turn 3 between Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat. Ricciardo attempted an overtake but locked his brakes and entered the escape road; Kvyat also missed the corner to avoid a collision. While attempting to rejoin the track, Ricciardo reversed into Kvyat's stationary car. Both drivers retired due to the resulting damage. Ricciardo later described the manoeuvre as a result of "urgency and a bit of panic," while Kvyat joked he would buy Ricciardo a rear-view mirror for the next race.
Leclerc, struggling with degrading tyres, was passed by Hamilton and Vettel on lap 34 before making his pit stop. He eventually finished fifth and secured the point for the fastest lap. Late retirements included Romain Grosjean due to brake issues and Pierre Gasly due to a driveshaft failure, the latter triggering a brief virtual safety car.
Valtteri Bottas's victory allowed him to retake the lead of the Drivers' Championship by a single point over Lewis Hamilton. The result marked the fourth consecutive one-two finish for Mercedes at the start of the 2019 season. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes extended their lead over Ferrari to 74 points. Following the race, Daniel Ricciardo was issued a three-place grid penalty for the subsequent round in Spain for causing the collision with Kvyat.
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