Circuit designer Tilke explains: 'This is what makes Baku Street Circuit special'

This weekend will see another race on a street circuit, following the recently concluded Monaco Grand Prix. This time the Formula One circus will settle in Baku, and looking ahead to the sixth event on the 2021 calendar, former driver and circuit designer Hermann Tilke explains what makes the track in Baku special.

This weekend will see the fourth running of the Baku Street Circuit in Azerbaijan, a track with a key differentiator. "A unique feature of this circuit is that it is the fastest street circuit in the world. We easily reckon with tempos around 340 kilometres per hour" Tilke is quoted as saying by Speedweek prior to the first Grand Prix at the circuit in 2016.

The top speed measured on the circuit comes from the hand of Valtteri Bottas. As a Williams driver, he recorded a top speed of 378 kilometres per hour during qualifying in 2016, a record on a street circuit.

Pedal to the metal on the straight

The layout of the street circuit in Baku lends itself well to chasing a maximum top speed. Whilst in other parts the track is almost unprecedentedly narrow, the long straights around start-finish spell pedal-to-the-metal acceleration, something that will undoubtedly add to the driving pleasure this weekend.