Lewis Hamilton says his rivals should stop moaning about the Baku street circuit, arguing that such complaints end up stripping modern race tracks of their character.
Baku is hosting its first grand prix this weekend on an all-new street circuit designed to take in some of the city's biggest landmarks. The track is mostly made up of 90 degree corners preceded by heavy braking zones, and some drivers have complained the run-off areas are not big enough to cope with a potential accident. Speaking before the drivers' meeting with the FIA on Friday night, Hamilton said he expected more complaints to surface.
"I'm well happy [with the circuit]," Hamilton said. "One thing is for sure, these drivers they moan so much, so much, about so many things. I guarantee you... it's really bumpy down the main straight and you can't really see Turn 1 that well when the car's vibrating so it's really hard but that's a part of racing. But these guys want it to be smooth, like smoother than ever and have no vibrations and no bumps.
"They want to take all the character and life out of these tracks. I'm glad that this has bumps but I guarantee you today there's going to be some people that say those things and I'll just sit there and smile!"
Hamilton said he enjoyed the challenge the circuit offers.
"The circuit was very slippery in the morning, when I went out I was sliding around a lot, it was very similar to Valencia in many ways. But then the better part of the track is that it has a combination of corners like Monaco where you're really having to attack these braking zones and commit to corners with barriers on the exits which is really tricky.
"We're doing 220mph down the main straight and 200mph down some of the other straights and then committing to these corners. Some of the corners we're driving towards the wall basically at crazy speeds and then having to judge the braking distances is a real challenge.
"I tell you, you definitely have your heart in your mouth. It's a real challenge so far to really be on the limit but I'm feeling pretty much at home. It's a heavy braking circuit, a bit like Montreal mixed with a bit of Monaco mixed with a bit of Valencia -- that's not so good! -- and a bit of Sochi. So it's actually quite a challenge."