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Alonso expects maiden Baku GP to put on a good show

Former world champion Fernando Alonso is predicting a unique racing experience in this weekend's maiden race on the Baku City Circuit, although he's not expecting it to be one of McLaren's best tracks of the year because of the 2km straight that will favour teams with the most powerful engines.

"Circuits have their own unique features, and in this one it's the longest straight on the calendar, the longest straight in any circuit in the world, so that will be challenging in terms of the set-up of the car and making your preference in terms of downforce and other settings so that will be a good thing for Formula One.

"I don't have any concerns about brakes or anything like that, so I think it's okay," he added. "There are a few things we need to discover in the car. Obviously walking is always different and in the simulator is different.

"Turns 8, 9, 10 - the narrow section up the hill - will be quite interesting to drive there and see how we can maximise the car limits there, and then the very unique theme in this circuit is probably the straight line speed which will be very high.

"We need to check if it's really flat out from turn 16 to turn 1 with turn 19 and 20 you need to make a lift there. It's quite interesting, and for some teams it will be a little more painful - probably for us in terms of distance on the straight."

Alonso, who has been appointed an official FIA ambassador for the Baku event, said that he had noticed several changes since his last visit to the venue earlier in the year.

"A few things have changed obviously," he said. "The circuit now is ready and the garage, the pit lane, the grandstands - and also the weather! It was quite cold in March and I remembered to wear gloves and two jackets walking on the circuit and now it's quite hot and windy. The race will be different from that aspect as well.

"I should have made some modifications when I came here in March to make it a little slower [to benefit McLaren], but it's the way it is," he joked.

Alonso added that he didn't have any concerns about the safety of the brand new track.

"In terms of safety I think the FIA has run many simulations in terms of how to make the run-off areas safe enough. Some of them are more than enough, some of them may look small, but it's always better than Monaco for example - it can't be worth than there.

"I think the job they've done is fantastic and everything is ready. The fans are well into Formula One and very enthusiastic about the race on Sunday so everything is ready for a good show."

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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.