Malaysia’s GP2 driver Nabil Jeffri is about to make history as the country’s first ever racer to compete at the newly constructed Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan’s capital.
This weekend’s Grand Prix of Europe taking place on 17 to 19 June 2016 will see Formula 1 and GP2 cars race around the picturesque streets of downtown Baku for the first time.
Competing in the main support race for maiden Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe, Nabil and his fellow GP2 series competitors will all start fresh with no previous experience racing on the 6.006 km track, putting the Malaysian driver on par against the other drivers in terms of track knowledge.
“It will be the first time for all of us and that makes the races this weekend very exciting. Looking at the track layout and learning from the simulators, it is a very challenging track that nevertheless offers a lot of spots for overtaking. Based on the tests undertaken by some of the F1 drivers, we know that it is the fastest circuit on the calendar, offering a maximum speed of 331km per hour. I am really looking forward to my first race in Azerbaijan,” said Nabil, who competes under the banner of Arden International.
“Realistically though, the mission here is to perform to the best of my potential – improving on my race performance in Monaco. The aim is to qualify with better results and then focus on the two races this weekend. The team has been very supportive and helpful. They are doing all they can to help me out. Hopefully, we can all achieve further improvement here in Azerbaijan,” he added.
Free practice and qualifying sessions at the Baku City Circuit will be held on Friday, 17 June while the 29-lap Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday, 18 June and Race 2 – the shorter battle at 20 laps, will be held on Sunday, 19 June.
Placing 19th in free practice in Monaco, Nabil was 11th on the timesheet in the second group during qualifying, which was divided into 2 groups. After a frustrating DNF in Race 1, Nabil performed better in Race 2 to finish in 17th place.
You can watch Nabil in action in Baku on Fox Sports 3 (Channel 818 on Astro). Delayed broadcast of Race 1 will be aired at 2.02pm on Sunday, 19 June 2016 and Race 2 at 2.02pm on Monday, 20 June 2016.
Other than Nabil in GP2, another Malaysian to follow is Akash Neil Nandy, who is racing for Jenzer Motorsports in the GP3 series this year. Both Akash and Nabil will be in action next at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg from 1 to 3 July 2016.
You can also catch both of them live in action in Sepang this year! For ticket purchases, visit www.sepangcircuit.com
2016 GP2 SERIES CALENDAR
Round 1 Circuit de Barcelona, Spain 13-15 May
Round 2 Circuit de Monaco, Monaco 26-28 May
Round 3 Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan 17-19 June
Round 4 Red Bull Ring, Austria 1-3 July
Round 5 Silverstone Circuit, Great Britain 8-10 July
Round 6 Hungaroring, Hungary 22-24 July
Round 7 Hockenheimring, Germany 29-31 July
Round 8 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium 26-28 August
Round 9 Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy 2-4 September
Round 10 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia 30 September-2 October
Round 11 Yas Marina Circuit, United Arab Emirates 25-27 November
