Ready Set Go

The street circuit of the Formula One Grand Prix in Baku has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most challenging and interesting in the world. Here, former F1 driver David Coulthard takes us on a walking tour of the racetrack.

And it is Nico Rosberg back winning again. Rosberg wins in Baku. The Championship leader extends his advantage at the Grand Prix of Europe,” screams the commentator as the Mercedes AMG Petronas driver took a lights-to-flag victory. The German, who went on to become the 2016 world champion before his shock decision to retire, held off Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Force India’s Sergio Perez to claim top spot on the podium in the inaugural race at the Baku city circuit in June 2016. Architect Hermann Tilke had ensured this specially constructed street circuit pushed the stars of Formula One to their limits, with turns seven to 11, 15 and the pit-lane entry all ramping up the adrenaline factor. “I remember thinking, ‘This is a track I would like to drive’,” says former racing driver David Coulthard, who scored 13 grand prix wins and 62 podium finishes in a glittering career spanning 15 years. The 45-year-old, who drove for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, still oozes F1 glamour, as he adjusts his designer sunglasses in the glorious spring sunshine while we walk to some of his favourite spots on the Baku city circuit.

“I was quite good on street tracks and I know the challenges that you have there as a driver,” says Coulthard, looking out across the unique ‘dual carriageway’ stretch of the circuit, opposite Neftchilar Avenue. “I raced in the Macau Grand Prix in Formula Three [1991] and I was lucky enough to win that. I also won in Monaco [F1 Grand Prix] a couple of times [2000 and 2002].”

Now a presenter and commentator after retiring from the sport, Coulthard has more of a backseat view these days. “You get a feel [for the track] yourself, but it means nothing because you’re not actually going to be competing,” he says. “But, when you see the excitement from the drivers, you just know Baku has done something that has reminded the drivers why they got involved in F1 racing.”

Passing turn five and heading towards the city’s hub, Coulthard points out Paris Bistro, a chic upmarket restaurant that makes you feel as though you’re just a stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées, which proved popular throughout F1's visit to Baku.

Overlooking White Lilies Square, locals keen to investigate the loud roars rippling throughout their city, and F1 fanatics who had travelled specifically for a glimpse of their heroes, gathered to admire the spectacle in the shade of the trees.

Strolling along to the eagerly anticipated turn eight, Monaco-based Coulthard adds: "The circuits should be fast and scary, but in a positive way. As a driver, being pushed to your physical and mental limits is a good thing as it helps to discover who you are."

A quick right turn sees the drivers speeding past a row of luxury boutiques including Tom Ford and Tiffany's (in Aziz Aliyev Street) on the approach to Icheri Sheher, the city's Unesco-protected Old Town. It's here that the track narrows significantly.

With two temporary layers of asphalt laid over the historic cobbled streets, the 7.6-wide turn eight is the narrowest in all of F1 and demands the utmost precision due to the proximity of the 12th-century walls of Sahayil Castle.

“This is the yahoo moment,” Coulthard says, smiling, as he seemingly enjoys a flashback to his days behind the wheel. “Anything from turn seven until after turn 19, this is where the drivers can really get stuck in. It’s a tricky little section at very high speed and that’s your magic moment. That’s where you are joining the dots on what is necessary to have success.”

To Coulthard’s surprise, Rosberg’s arch-rival and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton crashed out in a messy end to last year’s qualifying session after hitting the wall at turn 11. “One thing that stands out from last year is Hamilton’s mistake at turn 11 in practice,” he said. “He never seemed to connect with this track. In a way, I thought it would have been tailor-made for him. He just didn’t turn up that day.”

Heading past three consecutive left-hand turns and working our way towards the Presidential Palace, Coulthard points out the circuit’s highest vantage point at turn 13, standing 2.1m above sea level and offering panoramic views of the sweeping coastline. “There’s a steep downhill section just after turn 15 and that’s where you catch a glimpse of the Caspian Sea before the last significant turn of the circuit,” Coulthard explains.

From the exit of turn 16, past the iconic Maiden Tower, the 2.2km straight goes all the way to the start-finish line. It was a stretch that was expected to generate speeds of 340km/h – until Valtteri Bottas stunned even the track designer. “Bottas, who was then driving for Williams, set an all-time F1 record last year and clocked up a top speed of 366km/h on this long straight,” Coulthard explains.

Residents in apartments overlooking the circuit could be seen gathering on their balconies for a glimpse of the action as the drivers raced through Baku.

“I remember the energy in the evenings during race weekend,” Coulthard recalls. “Although the locals don’t really know much about F1 yet – and it will take time to build that culture – people were just celebrating the fact that F1 was in town. They were sitting out on terraces and wandering the streets to soak up the atmosphere. It is not as mature as somewhere like Montreal or Monaco, where people spill out into the streets, but there was an air of excitement.”

Although still very much in its infancy, the sport here is garnering attention and curiosity, Coulthard believes, and the city is well on its way to cementing its place in the F1 calendar for years to come.

Words by CLAIRE BLOOMFIELD

Photograph by VLADIMIR RYS