Number of spectators watching Baku stage of Formula 1 jumps

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

The number of spectators watching the Baku stage of Formula 1 doubled this year, said Azad Rahimov, the Youth and Sport Minister.

The minister, talking to AzTV TV Channel, said that about 70,000 spectators watched the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from tribunes and standings.

“We are very glad about this. Some 33 percent of fans were foreign guests, and 67 percent were local spectators. Overall, spectators from 65 countries watched the race,” he said.

The 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – the 8th round of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship – was held in Baku on June 23-25. Ten teams, two drivers in each, competed on the 6-kilometer Baku City Circuit.

Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo won the 2017 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The event was the second successive Formula 1 race staged on the streets of Azerbaijan’s capital city.

Rahimov also spoke of the significance of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for tourism sector.

“Our main goal was to promote Azerbaijan and inviting tourists to the country. We can say that we are achieving the main goals,” he said.

“There were no places in hotels. They were full.  About 15,000 professionals were engaged in operations. As many as 1,000 of them were local staff and 4,000 were volunteers. The rest was marshals, construction workers and others,” he said.

The minister also said that more than 400 journalists came to Baku to cover the race.

The mass flow of tourists is the success of the country’s economy, according to Rahimov.

The third edition of Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held on April 27-29, 2018, according to a provisional calendar by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The next year’s Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the fourth race on the calendar.