Too many times new F1 circuits are talked up and promised to be glorious showpieces that will electrify the racing. And then you end up with Valencia, a dull F1 street circuit somewhere in Spain that evokes more winces than grins.

But the new hosts of the European grand prix may have hit on something special.  As the most recent addition to the F1 calendar Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit promises much from the initial glimpses of its layout. At six kilometres it’s second in length only to Spa-Francorchamps and with twenty corners behind Abu Dhabi’s 21 and Singapore’s 23. But the most arresting feature of the circuit is slim width in certain areas of the track. It’s not pancake flat either, in fact it has significant elevation changes and even a cobbled section.

Because it is temporary circuit it isn’t required to subscribe to the FIA sporting code which stipulates a width of twelve meters, with an additional three meters on the starting grid. While the circuit has some areas which stretch to thirteen meter width its narrowest point, on Aziz Aliyev Street, is just 7.6 metres wide. The average speed of lap is currently projected at 210 kph and a top speed of 340 kph.

From an early perspective the Baku City circuit has many positives going for it; high-speed, tight sections, fast corners and for a street circuit, a longer than usual lap. Already it bears some similarities with China’s legendary Macau circuit.

Here a look at Azerbaijan’s Baku City circuit