Baku will host Formula 1 for the fourth time this year. Recently, the circuit announced a new deal signed off, extending their contract until 2023. We interviewed Mr. Arif Rahimov, Executive Director of Baku City Circuit to discuss their success and share this good news.
After three exciting years, you will be hosting Formula 1 for the fourth time. How do you feel about this continued success?
We always had high hopes for our race weekend and as such, set our expectations accordingly. We have worked incredibly hard since Day 1 to deliver the most professional, exciting and entertaining Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar and it’s been an incredible pleasure to see our race become so iconic, so popular and so historic in the space of a few short years. Obviously, we have been greatly aided by the stunning drama that has taken place on our circuit – especially in the past 2 races – but again, this is in no small part down to the challenges posed by our track. In addition, the feedback we receive from fans, F1 teams and media as well as the powers that be in Formula 1, seems to get better every year. This is a testament to our wonderful team here at BCC who work with such dedication and passion to make sure that no stone is left unturned and every angle covered to ensure a spectacular visit for all our international guests.
Added to that is the warmth and enthusiasm of the Azerbaijani people, who have come to embrace this race weekend since its inception and always provide a wonderful welcome to all visitors, as well as adding to the energetic atmosphere at the circuit during the Grand Prix.
We can allow ourselves to look back with immense pride at our achievements so far but we don’t intend to rest on our laurels and are working hard to make this year’s race even bigger and better than ever.
What has changed since the first year for Baku City Circuit?
Well, simply put, in Year 1 we had no concrete idea of what a race weekend in Baku would actually look like, only an estimation. We planned everything down to a tee to make sure that the race weekend would come as close to our projections as possible but at the end of the day there is nothing quite like seeing Formula 1 cars race for real in your home city.
Free practice in 2016 was therefore a very special day for me when I first heard the rumble of the F1 engine roaring down the Baku streets. Since then so much has changed and evolved it is hard to know where to start.
Of course, we now have so many magical, dramatic moments we can use as reference points when discussing and promoting our race weekend. For example, we can say with certainty that Baku City Circuit is the fastest street circuit in F1 since that first race weekend and that it is also the least predictable race, as the last two years have shown.
In terms of our own staff, it has been great to see my team evolve over the past few years into one of the most professional outfits in F1, delivering an impeccable race experience for fans, media and the F1 community year after year.
Also, it has been inspiring to see how much the people of Baku have embraced this event and how in a few short years we have already managed to create a passionate motorsport community in a region that previously would not have been so familiar with this sport.
There is much more still to do but if we continue at this pace of change going forward – and we are now contracted to host F1 until 2023 – there is nothing stopping us from further growing into the best Grand Prix weekend in F1.
Who is the designer of the Baku City Circuit? What does it offer to motorsport lovers?
Hermann Tilke, the world-famous architect who has also designed most of the recent F1 circuits, is the designer of our circuit – one of the most challenging, beautiful and unique in all of motorsports.
We felt from the very beginning that hosting a street race was the best option for Baku. In doing so, we are not only able to deliver an exciting and exceptional race but also are able to show the world our beautiful city at the same time. For us this was a much more appealing prospect than constructing a circuit on the outskirts of the city that would fail to show off the wonders of our great city.
Attending spectators and viewers at home are able to witness an incredible event taking place against one of the most stunning backdrops in F1 as the drivers race around the picturesque streets of downtown Baku, incorporating the city’s UNESCO-protected old town – Icheri Sheher – as well as its modern skyline and beautiful Caspian Sea vista.
The track itself is full of surprises and dramatic changes to challenge even the best drivers on the planet. The street pattern has obviously determined the nature of the track quite a bit, ensuring that the drivers face a number of singular challenges, including the tight 90-degrees turns and of course the famously narrow, winding uphill sequence of turns along the old town walls that always test their skills to the very limit. In addition, the circuit became the fastest of any current street circuit in F1 with Valtteri Bottas (then in a Williams seat) reaching speeds of 366km/h on the main 2.2.km straight along our beautiful seaside promenade during the first race weekend in June 2016.
In what ways has the race contributed to Baku and Azerbaijan in general?
The impact of the F1 race weekend on the Azerbaijani economy has been overwhelmingly favorable. Indeed, last year we tasked PwC with conducting an Economic Impact Study on our behalf which found that the impact felt by Baku from hosting an F1 race for 2016-2017 years comes to US$277.3million. This impressive figure is a combination of the direct and indirect results of operational spending linked to the arrival of F1 in Baku, considering the spend across various sectors including the professional services, hotels & general accommodation, catering, transport, social and cultural services, agriculture, post & telecommunications, wholesale trade and electricity, gas & water amongst others.
We were incredibly encouraged and satisfied by the positive results from this study and have reason to believe these figures have only become more positive, going by the demand for tickets and hotel bookings we are seeing for the 2019 race.
Ever since we brought this major sporting event to our capital city, we have been keen to stress that this wonderful spectacle is more than just a showpiece event but instead a catalyst for economic, social and cultural change that will continue to drive this city – and indeed this country – forward and provide increased opportunities and benefits for everyone living and working here.
With regards to the emotional effect it has had on our people, the impact has also been notable. Azerbaijan is still a relatively new market for F1 and we knew that one of the main challenges we faced was to create a sense of ownership and heritage amongst the domestic fanbase. As such we have developed a series of domestic workshops and educational activations to generate further enthusiasm, awareness and knowledge of F1 and motorsport in general amongst the Azerbaijani population – in particular the youth who are the future of the sport’s success in this country.
We feel very confident that the Azerbaijani population is beginning to really embrace F1, with all the signs of tickets sales and television viewing figures since the first race pointing to a growing interest in witnessing this incredible spectacle live and in person as well as from home.
In addition to our awareness programs throughout the year, the combination of seeing the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo on track during the day and then attending a Sam Smith concert at night for the price of one ticket is increasingly proving highly attractive to our home audience.
We feel very confident that the Azerbaijani population is beginning to really embrace F1, with all the signs of tickets sales and television viewing figures since the first race pointing to a growing interest in witnessing this incredible spectacle live and in person as well as from home.
Do you have any specific plans for the future?
Our main plan is always the same: to continue delivering the biggest, best and most spectacular race weekend in Formula 1. We take our role as F1 Promoters and ambassadors for this country very seriously and we will continue to work with the same incredible level of passion, dedication and joy to bring this special event to the streets of Baku. We have recently extended our contract to 2023 and all going well, we hope to see our race stay here long beyond that date.
