The Baku City Circuit's street layout—with its narrow 7.6-meter castle section, walls lining much of the track, and a long high-speed straight feeding into tight corners—has produced at least one safety car or virtual safety car in every prior Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This structural risk stems from limited runoff areas, high speeds exceeding 330 km/h, brake stress, and frequent debris or incidents during wheel-to-wheel racing and restarts. Official pre-race data places safety car probability at 57% with virtual safety car at 43%, yet trader consensus at 74% for yes reflects the circuit's proven record of neutralizations, amplified by the 2026 schedule's standard format and absence of major layout changes that might reduce incident likelihood.