Azerbaijan's capital Baku is set to host an F1 race next year, the country's "highest-profile sporting event," according to Tom Hayward of REUTERS. The inaugural European Games has "established Baku on the sporting map but the Azeri capital is already gearing up for a far bigger spectacle" next year -- an F1 race through its "stunning streets." Azerbaijan's F1 debut was "originally pencilled in" for '15, but a contract was signed last year for a 2016 Grand Prix of Europe and work has since been "under way in Baku to prepare for its highest-profile sporting event yet." Baku Grand Prix Head of Operations Chingiz Mehdiyev said, "Baku is on track. We are working on the project, we have almost completed the project, now we are going through some stages of homologation and after that stage we can already start working on actually building." A 6.007km track has been confirmed, "taking in the stunning architecture of the old city, multi-million dollar developments in the city centre and the glittering Caspian seashore." The 20-corner track will be "lapped 51 times" with cars reaching speeds of 340km per hour, which, according to Mehdiyev, is the "fastest single speed at any race" currently on the F1 calendar. The first race, scheduled for July '16, will be during the day but, beyond next season, Mehdiyev said that the possibility of staging the event at night was "very plausible and 'exciting.'" Azerbaijan only has a short history of staging sporting events but the race will "place the country, with a young population providing a potentially lucrative new market, in the sporting spotlight." Azerbaijan Minister for Sport & Youth Azad Rahimov said, "It's very important to put us on the sporting map, positioning the country on the map of the world and, of course, to excite the young people." It will host Euro 2020 matches, while in '16 it will also host the 42nd Chess Olympiad and Euro U17 Championship, but it is F1 that is "garnering immediate interest" (REUTERS, 6/25).
