Ecclestone: The Azerbaijan Grand Prix “will start in 2015”
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix seems to be on the right track, according to Bernie Ecclestone, the president of Formula One Management.
The upcoming race in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, mentioned for a few weeks and even yesterday, seems to be more than just a rumor since Bernie Ecclestone, the holder of F1 commercial rights and maker of the discipline’s calendar, indicated to the newspaper *The Independent*: « Baku has been signed. It will start in 2015 and replace Korea. »
This announcement is surprising: South Korea, which was on the Formula 1 calendar between 2010 and 2013, will not be present this season. It seemed definitively out, but its return was still conceivable in 2015, which is not to Ecclestone’s taste: « I don’t want to go back. They did a good job with the circuit, but what they forgot to do is build all the things they wanted to build. »
The Yeongam Circuit was initially supposed to be the starting point of a real city or, at least, a significant commercial and industrial area, leveraging the track’s facilities. However, it quickly became apparent that the construction costs, estimated at nearly 200 million euros, would be a major issue, leaving the circuit alone in the middle of a wasteland. The Korean round also certainly suffers from its distance from the capital, Seoul.
On the other hand, the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, could offer both a higher endowment (around 30 million euros to host the discipline) and the possibility of an urban race; especially since Baku already hosts the finale of the Blancpain Sprint Series.
The Independent notes that a source close to the project indicated that Flavio Briatore – former director of Renault and Benetton, among others – played a role in the negotiation: « Briatore approached the president of Azerbaijan. [He] planted the idea in the president’s mind […] and [the project] was launched. »
To obtain official confirmation of the appearance of Baku, it will be necessary to wait for the inspection and approval of the FIA before it is added to the official calendar at the end of the season. /f1/actualite/17535-le-grand-prix-dazerbaidjan-des-cette-annee-.html.
