Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic between Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia, is the latest F1 destination with large oil reserves and a dubious human rights record. Disgraced former Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore is said to have helped Bernie Ecclestone sign a deal for the race with the autocratic government of Azerbaijan, who are rumored to be paying around $50m USD per year in sanctioning fees. A ten-year contract was signed in April 2014, right before oil prices began a big slide. The new owners of the Formula 1 Group have not got off on the best foot when it comes to relations with the Baku organizers. New CEO Greg Maffei was quoted as saying that “races in places like Baku in Azerbaijan where they paid us a big race fee but it does nothing to build the long-term brand and health of the business. Our job is to find partners that pay us well but also help us to build the product.” The inaugural 2016 event was attended by just 30,000 fans over three days. Attendance over the weekend rose to 71,541 last year, an increase of 138%, but Baku was still the least-attended race on the 2017 F1 calendar.
About the Baku City Circuit
The Baku City Circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, who has been responsible for laying out so many of F1’s newest tracks. It’s located right in the heart of the city, close to the main promenade on the Caspian sea. In addition to many long straights that make it the ‘fastest street circuit in the world’, the Baku circuit also includes a very narrow section (turn 18) next to the old city walls. At 6.003km, the Baku City Circuit is the second longest on the current F1 calendar after Spa Francorchamps (7.004km).
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix: did you know?
The inaugural race in 2016 was officially called the “Grand Prix of Europe.” A race with this title has been held 23 times since 1983, most recently (before Baku) at the Valencia street circuit and the Nürburgring. The race was renamed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for 2017. - During qualifying for the 2016 race, Valtteri Bottas of Williams set an unofficial record for the highest ever speed recorded in an F1 car at 378 km/hr.
Daniel Ricciardo’s three-car pass into the first corner at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP was judged the best overtake of the whole season. - Lance Stroll was the second youngest driver ever to score a podium when he finished third in the 2017 race. Aged 18 years 239 days, he was only 11 days older than Max Verstappen was when he won the 2016 Spanish GP.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix facts
Circuit Name: Baku City Circuit
Race first held: 2016
Track Length: 6.003km (20 turns)
Race Distance: 51 laps (306.049km)
Lap Record: 1:46.485, Nico Rosberg (Mercedes, 2016)
2017 Results: 1st Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 2:03:55.573
2nd Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) + 3.904s
3rd Lance Stroll (Williams) +4.009s
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