Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Less than two weeks left before the second successive Grand Prix of Azerbaijan Formula 1.

Baku, which has turned into a circuit of legendary corners seeped in history with cars running through the capital's streets, is preparing to hold another exciting year with the Formula 1 European Grand Prix family.

The majority of tickets have been sold and there are no places in some tribunes, said Nigar Arpadarai, BCC Head of Marketing and Communications Department.

Arpadarai mentioned that the interest for this year’s competition is higher than last year, especially among foreigners. She said that the geography of ticket purchase also proves this.

“The tickets have been bought in 57 countries. The number of foreign purchasers increased twice compared to last year. In general, about 55 percent of tickets were bought by foreigners. Also more and more Azerbaijanis are buying tickets. Tickets are bought both in sales points and online,” she said.

There are no places in two tribunes [Philharmonic and Icheri sheher’, the tickets are sold out.
“We expect that all the tickets will be sold until the race starts,” she said.

Arpadarai noted that this year people became more positive about Formula 1, clarifying that last year citizens were a little worry about the competition, and were dissatisfied with the closure of roads.

“This year there is another atmosphere, people react differently. Now more people want to join and watch the race, they trust more,” she said.

Meanwhile, Baku City Circuit offers special discount campaigns. Nearly 50 companies, most of them located nearby Baku City Circuit, joined the project that will offer special discount up to 20 percent for Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix ticketholders.

The main purpose of the project is to help private sector develop in Azerbaijan by creating effective financial opportunities for local businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises.

The discount campaign started on June 1 and will last until July 15, 2017. BCC provided the participating companies with special discount stickers to be placed at the entrance of the company buildings.

Entertainment program of the Baku City Circuit is another interesting part of the race.

Four of the world’s most iconic musical acts will perform incredible concerts at the Azerbaijan 2017 Formula 1.

One of Turkey’s biggest global music stars, Tarkan, will be the headliner on the opening night of the second Grand Prix weekend.

Nicole Scherzinger will stage on the next day. She will then be followed by none other than one of the most successful groups in music history, The Black Eyed Peas, to deliver a stunning night of world-class music and entertainment. Mariah Carey, the best-selling female artist of all time, will perform on the Main Stage on June 25 to close out the race.

BCC’s Head of Marketing and Communications Department added that entertainment programs will not end there and the race weekend will be rich with entertainment programs. Shows, games and separate zones for children will cheer up the fans, according to Arpadarai.

“Entertainments programs will be held from morning to evening. All these programs will be free for those who have tickets. So those who have tickets have the chance to watch the race, meet pilots, join autograph sessions, and enjoy the concerts,” she clarified.

The last year’s race confirmed the newest street circuit in F1 as the fastest of its kind, with a new F1 street circuit speed record set by Valtteri Bottas (recording an official speed of 366kph along the circuit’s main straight, later unofficially recorded as reaching an astonishing 378kph) while it also delivered the joint-fastest pit stop of all time by the Williams Martini Racing team (on Felipe Massa’s car), matching the existing Red Bull record of 1.92 seconds, previously set at the U.S. Grand Prix in 2013.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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