Formula One stars to race at world heritage site

New venues have sprung up in Sochi in Russia and Austin, Texas, but few would have picked the little-known capital of a small former Soviet republic to host a Grand Prix.

But that is exactly what is going to happen next year, as Baku in Azerbaijan will be included on the 2016 F1 world championship calendar, with a July slot the most likely.

No expense appears to have been spared to design a six kilometer (3.75 miles) street circuit which will pass through its medieval walled old city, a UNESCO world heritage site, and take in the more modern skyline on the shores of the Caspian Sea.



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Covered cobblestones

Speeds are promised to reach an eye watering 340km per hour (220 mph) on the long home straight, while other sections are set to be more technical, with centuries-old cobblestones in the old city temporarily covered and paved.

Baku is rumored to have fought off the likes of Istanbul and New York to win a place on the F1 roster and sports and minister Azad Rahimov believes that faith will be repaid because of the visual spectacle.

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'It's a great opportunity to show the ancient town and the modern Baku,' he told CNN. 'I think fans want to see new races.'

The new track's Head of Operations Chingiz Mehdiyev, a massive F1 fan himself, told CNN that he could not have imagined an F1 race coming to the city. 'As soon as I heard it was going to be in Baku and Azerbaijan I said I gotta be there, I've gotta be there, this is history.

F1 dream

'It was my dream actually from childhood. It was just too much to hope for,' he said.

In some ways, it's no coincidence that the ultimate in petrol powered sport should find a home in an oil-rich country with big fields and refineries scattered within the Baku city limits.

The oil wealth has helped fund the F1 race and the 2015 European Games, a 50 nation multi-sports festival, which is being staged for the first time in Azerbaijan.

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For a country of less than 10 million people, this is a massive financial commitment and it does not end there with aspirations to host a Summer Olympics after failed bids for 2016 and 2020.

Satisfying the IOC that it has the resources to put on the biggest sports event in the world is one thing, but Baku has at least persuaded F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone that it deserves its coveted place on the F1 global circus

'He was very impressed and believes it will be one of the most beautiful tracks,' Rahimov said.

European Grand Prix

The race will be branded the European Grand Prix, a generic title bestowed on races at other venues which have been discontinued, Valencia in Spain from 2008 to 2012 the latest example.

Ecclestone is a noticeably hard task master -- and only time will tell if Baku comes up to scratch and can find a permanent place in a 20-race calendar.

Azerbaijan has also come under criticism for its human rights record, as have other countries which host F1 races, but a common ingredient is the desire to showcase a positive image for the city or country where it is being staged.

'For some one such as Azerbaijan it is a great shop window for your country,' motor sport expert Ed Foster told CNN.

'You've got millions and millions of people watching that race and all the PR that is related to that.'

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For now, once the European Games finishes on June 28, Mehdiyev and his team will be working flat out to complete their ambitious plans.

These will see state of the art paddocks and huge temporary grandstands erected for the thousands of F1 fans who will flood to Baku to watch the likes of Lewis Hamilton hurtle round streets usually nose to tail with traffic at breakneck speed.

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No expense appears to have been spared to design a six kilometer (3.75 miles) street circuit which will pass through its medieval walled old city, a UNESCO world heritage site, and take in the more modern skyline on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Ecclestone is a noticeably hard task master -- and only time will tell if Baku comes up to scratch and can find a permanent place in a 20-race calendar. 'It was my dream actually from childhood. It was just too much to hope for,' he said. The oil wealth has helped fund the F1 race and the 2015 European Games, a 50 nation multi-sports festival, which is being staged for the first time in Azerbaijan. 'It was my dream actually from childhood. It was just too much to hope for,' he said. Speeds are promised to reach an eye watering 340km per hour (220 mph) on the long home straight, while other sections are set to be more technical, with centuries-old cobblestones in the old city temporarily covered and paved.

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