It's a mix of vast and open, as well as tight and winding. The Baku shoreline's long main straight is a slipstreaming paradise, and with cars able to race three abreast into Turn 1, the action appears more IndyCar than F1. However, the road then circles back into Baku's small, twisting Icheri Sheher old town, curving dramatically beyond the city's historic city walls. As in Monaco, even the smallest errors are penalised harshly, and teams are forced to choose between downforce for the tight sections and less drag for the straight.
The large Absheron grandstand at the end of the main straight should be high on your viewing wish list, as you'll be able to see the vehicles braking from roughly 350km/h into the 90-degree Turn 1 – as well as the majority of overtaking. The Icheri Sheher grandstand, on the other hand, offers a unique vantage point from which to witness the cars wiggle past the city gate portion and speed down to the super-fast Turn 13-15 complex.
Spectating at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix puts you right in the heart of the action when the cars are put back in their crates, as it does at all city circuits. Baku is a lively city, and food is an important aspect of Azerbaijani culture, with Turkish and Middle Eastern influences - so eat up!