Azerbaijan changes its timetable again
For the second time, the starting time for the European Grand Prix in Baku has been changed. Although the start has been brought forward, it will not conflict with the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Since the release of the 2016 season calendar, one date stands out for two reasons. It’s June 18th, the day the first Grand Prix in Baku will take place. But it’s also the end date of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which has de facto prevented Nico Hülkenberg from defending his title at Le Mans.
The promoters had then decided to change the scheduled departure time so that it takes place after 3 PM, French time, in order to allow motorsport fans to follow both events one after the other.
But that was without considering the decision of the local authorities to simply cancel the switch to daylight saving time. With a departure initially scheduled for 6 p.m. local time, the drivers could have found themselves in the same situation as in Australia a few years ago, namely ending the race with increasingly poor visibility.
With the new schedule, starting at 5 p.m. local time, the same schedule can be maintained in Western Europe, namely 3 p.m., which avoids any conflict with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as explained by Arif Rahimov, the circuit director: « After discussions with the FOM, we are pleased to confirm that this new start time has been decided in the best interest of fans watching the race at our street circuit and on television, as well as for the teams and drivers. The decision to move the start time forward by one hour will prevent drivers from having to deal with decreasing light levels, while allowing fans watching the race at home to switch directly from the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the first F1 race held in our spectacular city.»
But this announcement comes as the country has been mired for months in a severe financial and monetary crisis due to the fall in oil prices, which is essential for the local economy. Additionally, the local army is in open conflict with its Armenian counterpart over an separatist region in the East of the country.
In such a context, it is understandable how important it is for the country’s visibility to appear in the best possible light. The gain in image for F1, however, is much more debatable…
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
