By Adam Tate, Associate Editor
The organizers of June 19th’s upcoming European Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan have unveiled some of the newest photos and footage of the nearly completed circuit, including the first onboard film of the new track which winds its way through the historic streets of the capital city.
The circuit features several very long straights, book-ended by 90 degree turns, but also features a very, narrow section that twists around a castle and some of the ancient city walls. This section will be the narrowest on the entire F1 calendar, Monaco included and should be a key point of action during the race.
To help promote the upcoming race they had Azerbaijani race driver Gulhuseyn Abdullayev take a demonstration run around the Hermann Tilke designed 20 turn, 3.7 mile layout. The track is set to be the fastest street circuit on the calendar and one of the more hair raising new tracks.
Racing in Azerbaijan may be politically contentious, but is a major part of Bernie Ecclestone’s plan to push the sport into new markets. It will be interesting to see how the city pulls it off and whether it can become a staple of the calendar like Singapore or fall off after a few seasons like Valencia or India.
If anything, racing alongside a castle in an F1 car will look amazing. Check it out in the video below.
