Formula One to visit Azerbaijan in 2016

As we reported on Vital F1 back in May, Formula One will visit Azerbaijan in 2016.

Back in March, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed that he wanted to take the F1 circus to Azerbaijan and held hopes that it could be achieved as soon as next season.

The 83-year-old had held talks over a street circuit race in the capital of Baku.

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, with a population in excess of 2million.

Sitting on the edge of the Caspian Sea, the Inner City of Baku along with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower are officially UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Whilst getting something in place in time for next season was always likely to be ambitious a deal for Baku to stage a Formula One race has been officially signed and now announced.

‘We have signed the deal with Bernie Ecclestone and will announce it officially with an event in Baku shortly,’ Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov told insidethegames.biz in May.

The news that the race will be called the Grand Prix of Europe has also been confirmed.

‘We are very happy Baku has joined the Formula One family. This will be a street race, which will pass through interesting and picturesque parts of Baku, and will meet the current Formula One criteria.’ Ecclestone told Sky Sports.

Rahimov also added: ‘Azerbaijan is a modern European country that has established a reputation as a centre of sporting excellence. The deal to bring Formula 1 to Baku is a very significant new chapter in our ongoing success to attract the world’s largest sporting events to our country.

‘The course we are planning to design will be similar to leading street circuits already on the calendar.’