Malaysia’s GP2 driver Nabil Jeffri is hoping to raise the bar in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Europe in Azerbaijan. He’ll be the country’s first ever racer to compete at the new and uniquely constructed Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan’s capital.
Nabil will be on par with his fellow GP2 competitors in terms of track knowledge, as none of them have prior experience racing on the 6.006 km track.
“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.
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 dealing with a frustrating DNF in race 1, Nabil had a better outing in race 2 to finish in 17th place.
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. The shorter battle of race 2 at 20 laps will be held on Sunday, 19 June.
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