Baku’s new street circuit "faced serious criticism" from Jenson Button and other leading F1 drivers over safety fears on Thursday night -- "but at least the authorities will have been pleased" F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone gave a "typically ringing endorsement of the country despite its chequered human rights record," according to Daniel Johnson of the London TELEGRAPH. Ahead of the first running on the Baku City Circuit in practice on Friday, Button said that there was a "worrying" lack of run-off areas at "key corners on the track," with the cars expected to do more than 200mph on some parts of the circuit. Nico Rosberg, the championship leader, "questioned whether the sport’s governing body had adhered" to its own "strict guidelines" on new circuits. Rosberg also said that he feared a "massive accident" on the entrance to the pit lane, "with a high-speed chicane not far from the wall." Ecclestone brushed off "what was the biggest issue heading into this race, human rights." Activists wanted him to criticize the Azerbaijani regime, "but he did the exact opposite." Ecclestone: "The minute people tell me what human rights are then you can have a look at them and see how and when and where it applies. Do any of you know what human rights are? Absolutely [F1 has a clear conscience]. 100 percent." It was put to Ecclestone that journalists "had been prosecuted for being critical of the regime in Azerbaijan." He replied, "So they should. Depends what they say. You say they write negative things. Depends what they write" (TELEGRAPH, 6/16). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo said that a driver "could lose half a second on the pit lane entry if he slowed too early but there were also big risks in going too fast." Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, Rosberg's teammate, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel "were less concerned about the layout." Vettel: "(The) pit entry looks a challenge -- but then again, I think that’s why we’re here. And I certainly have the plan to stay on track and not use the run-off" (REUTERS, 6/16).
'FANTASTIC JOB': REUTERS reported senior members of F1 management, but not Ecclestone, met campaigners in London last week and the Briton said that the Azerbaijan authorities had given an assurance that "they are looking into all these things." He said, "Certainly while we are here none of you guys will be in trouble and you can write what you want." The layout incorporates "the medieval walls of the old fortress and a long high-speed blast along the shores of the Caspian Sea." Ecclestone said, "I think they’ve done a fantastic job. When I laid it out in the first place I was told I was mad, trying to get the old city and the new city together. It looks like it’s worked alright" (REUTERS, 6/16).
