[Official] Rate the Grand Prix: European Grand Prix 2016

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

The GP promotes the country. It's featured on TV screens for three days and in the world's newspapers and so on. Hundreds of millions of people saw what seems to be a scenic city in a country that would otherwise be fairly obscure. That's fruitful for the country even if the grandstands aren't full and the domestic demand isn't there. Also it doesn't require a great white elephant facility to be built that's promptly rendered derelict or semi-derelict when the GP goes pop. For these reasons it's a smart new territory for F1 nothwithstanding the lukewarm domestic reception. This GP is quite unique in that sense.

I think it's only going to be fruitful, if Azerbaijan can attract tourists in their droves to Baku, on the back of the GP. Since Azerbaijan has an oil based economy and what with the glut in oil, they aren't seeing the revenue they once had and it's oil revenue that's funding the GP. I wonder how sustainable this is and if we will see the Azerbaijan/European GP disappear before their 10 year contract is up?

[Born Racer]

I loved the section just before and going past the castle, plus the sweepers afterwards. I thought the layout was mostly interesting (maybe not all the 90 degree corners, though).

I enjoyed the race as a race. It wasn't non-stop wheel-to-wheel action, but it was good. A good call by Vettel to spot that he needed to stay out and one-stop. That was critical and no wonder he was looking so pleased with his result - a job well done. Red Bull slipped up again. Ricciardo shouldn't have been so keen to pit so urgently. Those elements were interesting and I enjoyed watching the cars just going very fast on this street circuit.