Having made its F1 debut in 2016 as the Grand Prix of Europe, for 2017 the Baku race will known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Better still, for its second edition the street race in a UNESCO World Heritage site will not conflict with the 24 Heures du Mans endurance race.

Speaking to media during the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi last month, Baku race promoter Arif Rahimov reflected on what did and didn't work during last summer's maiden outing, and what they hope to achieve in future.

"Our target [for 2016] was always to make sure that the race is great," Rahimov said. "We set the targets really high, so the success, it wasn't a single thing, it was a multiple of things. We had a very good press coverage, I think 97 or 98 percent positive press coverage. Which was was great, I mean, that's what we expected.

"We had a lot of satisfied customers, although, like some of you saw, the grandstands weren't full. They were relatively full, but it wasn't a fully sold out event. But those who did attend -- we've done a lot of surveys -- were extremely happy with what they saw. We've done another survey of the TV viewers, and it was also very positive. We think, taking the feedback from everyone, from all the stakeholders, it was a great event."

The off-track entertainment was a success in 2015, and the organisers are aiming to have more of the same next year, although with better access, Rahimov said.

"We're still going to have the concerts, all the entertainment in the boulevard area. We'll try to open up the track a little bit more for the spectators, so they can walk around at night. The first year was logistically hard, but the second year, we can work on those small details to make things better.

"In Singapore, they opened up the track for pedestrian access [after the track running]. We're probably going to do more on the pedestrian access side, or maybe we'll do free shuttles throughout the track, just to make sure that people can get from one site to another. Other than that, it's not going to be drastically different. The first year, it was a concept, and next year [that concept] is something that we need to improve."

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Looking ahead, the biggest issue facing the Baku organisers is that of ticket sales. Not only does the circuit's location put a cap on the number of seats available, with expansion hardly an option in a UNESCO World Heritage site, but it was clear during last year's debut outing that the event had not sold out.

"In terms of the ticket sales, we're just adding more categories," Rahimov explained. "We've already announced that we're having two-day tickets, Friday-only tickets, and single day tickets for the general admission areas, for the people who enjoy the concerts, the race, and everything else. [There's] going to be another three-day ticket, like we did last year, but there's going to be daily tickets.

"We've made it a little bit more flexible, and slightly changed the strategy of the ticket sales," he continued. "We're probably one of the few tracks that's pushing hard on the general admission, because we're very limited by the amount of space that we can actually use to put the grandstands, for the seated spaces., and we can't do much about it."

Asked about rumours that the Baku race could drop off the calendar like recent departed newcomers India, South Korea, and Valencia, to name but a few, Rahimov was clear that for him, the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan was a ten-year project.

"It's a ten year project," he said. "From a financial perspective, you invest the most in the capital expenses during the first year. And then, in the years after, your expenses go straight down. We already spent all the big money, and now it's just maintaining it year on year. You know there are rumours every year that some races will drop out, some races will add in. I cannot go by rumours right now. We have a ten-year contract, but a five-year break clause, to renegotiate."

As for rumours that the Baku race would be run at night in future, Rahimov refused to rule out the possibility in the long-term, but said it was not currently an option on the table.

"There was always a question on whether we wanted to be a night race. As always, it all comes down to money, and additional effort. I admire what Singapore did, how they made it a night race from the first year. But I think at the moment, we're not really considering that, because it really adds a lot of additional work to what is already a hard job.

"Because we have to build the track every year, [we would have] to make all those temporary lighting installations, all the additional cabling, and the temporary power, which is really, really a lot of money and effort. We want to concentrate [on making] sure that our race is immaculate as it is. Then, after a few years, we'll start thinking about improving it, and maybe then we might consider a night race."