Baku, April 5, AZERTAC

Baku City Circuit confirmed that the start time for the 2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE - the first ever Formula 1 race to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan has been moved backward by one hour to 5pm as a result of the Azerbaijani government’s decision to scrap Daylight Saving Time (DST) from this year onwards.

This time change was approved by FOM over the weekend and was directly linked to the fact that the abolishment of DST meant that the original start time of 6pm would have seen the race taking place too close to the 8.14pm time of sunset in the Azerbaijani capital.

This change in start time, however, will not apply to audiences in countries where the clocks have changed - meaning the official race start will still be 3pm CET for example - and crucially will avoid any clash with the 24 Hour Le Mans, which will be finishing at that time.

Commenting on the news, Baku City Circuit’s Executive Director Arif Rahimov said: “After fruitful discussions with FOM, we are happy to confirm this new start time which has been taken with the best interest of the fans watching live at our street circuit and on TV, as well as of course the teams and drivers, in mind. The decision to move the start time backward by an hour will avoid any concerns of driver’s having to race in fading light while it also means that fans watching at home are now just a flick of the television remote away from going straight from the end of 24 Hour Le Mans to watching the first ever F1 race to be staged in our spectacular city.”