Sainz hopes Baku can become F1's Macau

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Carlos Sainz hopes the Baku City Circuit can become iconic for F1 in the same way as Macau is in F3.

The inaugural race in Azerbaijan takes place this weekend, with the track in Baku measuring over 6km and featuring a mixture of very narrow and twisty sections as well as a high speed flat out run to the finish line. Sainz raced at Macau in both 2011 and 2012, with a best finish of seventh place, and he sees similarities between the two circuits.

"I'm really looking forward to this race even if, to be honest, I don't know what to expect!" Sainz said. "I've driven this track a few times on the sim, but experiencing a new circuit for the first time is always an exciting challenge.

"The first four turns are all 90-degree corners. Then, from Turn 5 onwards, it starts to get very interesting. It reminds me a lot of the Macau circuit: the section from Turn 7 to 12 is very similar to its tight section, while the long straight that goes from the exit of Turn 16 all the way to Turn 1 is very like its straight.

"The top speed here in Baku should be one of the highest of the season and it looks like you are flat out from the exit of Turn 16 all the way to the first corner! I think that the braking at Turn 15 will be tricky – at least it was on the sim!

"I can't say much more as I've never been there. I just hope it's actually as nice as Macau, which I've always regarded as the most iconic track and it would be great for Formula 1 to have a circuit like it."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.