BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to stay on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2030 after receiving a four-year contract extension Saturday.
The contract for the street circuit on the Baku seafront had been due to expire after next year's race.
Azerbaijan was widely considered a surprise choice of host ahead of its first race in 2016 but has become known for unpredictable racing, with Sergio Perez the only driver to win there more than once.
“The circuit is unique, with technical sections and long straights that run through the stunning shoreline and historic old town, delivering an eventful and entertaining race every year,” F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in a statement.
“This renewal reflects the strong trust and commitment between Formula 1, the Azerbaijani government, and the promoter, and paves the way for an exciting future in the country.”
This year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place Sunday.
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands in action during the second practice for the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
LONDON (AP) — The U.K.'s home secretary on Wednesday urged the head of one of the country's leading police forces to resign following a report on how fans from Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv were banned from a match against Premier League side Aston Villa in Birmingham last year.
Shabana Mahmood told lawmakers that the independent report found “a failure of leadership” on the part of West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford, adding that he "no longer has my confidence.”
The ban came at a time of heightened concerns about antisemitism in Britain following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue and calls from Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza.
The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the match with Aston Villa on Nov. 6 was widely criticized, including by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
West Midlands Police said at the time it had deemed the match to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents,” including violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi played Ajax in Amsterdam last season.
Guildford did not immediately comment on the report Wednesday.
Mahmood said the report by the chief inspector of constabulary, Andy Cooke, found that West Midlands Police had overstated the threat posed by Maccabi fans while understating the potential risks to them, and “conducted little engagement with the Jewish community" before a decision was taken.
She said the report noted that "the force sought only the evidence to support their desired position to ban the fans.” The report did not find the police force was antisemitic.
Mahmood also noted a police reference at the time to a nonexistent match between Maccabi and Premier League side West Ham in 2023, which was deemed to be an “AI hallucination.” Guildford previously denied that AI was to blame for that error but apologized for it Wednesday ahead of the report’s publication.
Mahmood said she didn't have the power to fire Guildford herself as a result of a policy change by the previous Conservative government in 2011, but she was looking to reinstate that power to home secretaries. Currently, locally elected police and crime commissioners have that power.
FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, is reflected as Britain's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood speaks to members of the Jewish community at the Community Security Trust (CST) in north west London, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Carlos Jasso, Pool Photo via AP, file)
FILE - Maccabi Tel Aviv's fan is escorted by police ahead of the Europa League soccer match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, England, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, file)
