Azerbaijan’s capital city, which lies along the western shore of the Caspian Sea, welcomed tens of thousands of racecar fans for the weekend to attend the second Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a three-day racecar tournament that is the eighth segment out of 20 in the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship.
The event, which is organized by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Formula 1 and Baku City Circuit, brought together 21 drivers representing 10 teams, including Mercedes, Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Many travelers, some of which arrived in Baku for their first time ever, came from the United Kingdom to support their compatriot and world-renowned driver Lewis Hamilton, who races for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
Piers, age 52, came to Baku from the UK with his wife last week to participate in F1 events and said Baku has surpassed his expectations.
“To this day we had never been to Baku, and we were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived to cheer for Hamilton,” Piers told Caspian News after Sunday’s finals. “It’s a very modern and beautiful city, and I think that many of those who came here as fans this year will want to come here again in future.”
Azerbaijan hosted its second Grand Prix this past weekend thanks to a 10-year contract signed with the FIA in 2014, leaving eight more years on the F1 calendar when F1 fans will be brought together again in Baku. At the time the contract was signed Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Azad Rahimov, highlighted the significance of the country’s location between Europe and Asia.
“Our location at the crossroads of eastern Europe and western Asia is a new frontier for Formula 1 racing. Azerbaijan is a modern European country that has established a reputation as a center of sporting excellence. The deal to bring Formula 1 racing to Baku is a very significant new chapter in our ongoing success to attract the world's largest sporting events to our country.”
Next year’s F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held from April 27-29, according to FIA’s provisional calendar, and be the fourth segment of the F1 World Championship.
Baku’s racing circuit is the second-longest F1 track in the world and measures slightly over six kilometers in length. Known as the Baku City Circuit, the route runs through the city’s UNESCO-protected Old City, or the Icheri Sheher historical-architectural reserve; the city’s modern skyline; and along the Caspian Sea promenade.
The sea, the sun, countless tents with souvenirs and national food dishes, electric trains that ran through the city streets to carry visitors to the racing circuit, an entertainment zone along the Baku seaside promenade, better known as Baku Boulevard, and a world-class track designed by the prominent German designer Hermann Tilke, all attracted throngs of people for the race, which took place from June 23-25.
“Federation Internationale de l'Automobile was surprised when they saw our large entertainment zone, as it stretches for two kilometers along the boulevard,” Nigar Arpadarai, a spokesperson for the Baku City Circuit told Caspian News. “We wanted to create a high-energy atmosphere for the F1 by launching a range of game zones. This year we have launched additional zones from last year’s race, in the Sahil and Sabir parks,” Arpadarai added.
Performances included those by Grammy Award-winning American singer Mariah Carey, former lead singer of the American band “Pussycat Dolls” Nicole Scherzinger, Black Eyed Peas, and Turkish pop singer Tarkan.
Many of those who arrived in Azerbaijan expressed a desire to visit country’s picturesque regions once F1 events will be finished.
Dmitry, a resident of Saint Petersburg, had been to Azerbaijan many times before. This time he plans to visit Azerbaijan’s northern Gusar region, famous for its ancient history and mount Shahdag, one of the highest peaks in the country.
“I have been to those places several years ago, but now everything is probably different there, because the cities in Azerbaijan change very quickly. They become even more beautiful and interesting,” Dmitry told Caspian News.
Bounded by the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, Azerbaijan is covered by a subtropical zone, which influences its climate. Of the 11 different types of climate, nine occur within Azerbaijan, a country slightly smaller than the US state of Maine.
Azerbaijan, once a part of the ancient Silk Road – a trade route that linked China and Europe –holds a range of historical, state-protected monuments and archaeological finds. Among them are the Zoroastrian fire temple called Atashgah, located in Baku; Khan's Palace in Sheki; and the Mausoleum of Nakhchivan, believed to contain relics of the Biblical prophet Noah.
Daniel Ricciardo, who raced for Red Bull, took first place in this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes took second. A Canadian teen and rookie Lance Stroll took third.
The next leg of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship race will take place in Austria, at the F1 Grosser Preis Von Österreich, from July 7-9.
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