The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has made sure to capitalise that and ensure the world gets a glimpse of the capital's beauty.

Since first appearing on the Formula One calendar in 2016, the Baku City Circuit has become a mainstay on the schedule.

That shows no sign of slowing down as it was announced today that it would feature in the 23-race season until at least 2026.

The 6-kilometre, 20 corner circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke and has delivered some spectacular moments as drivers jostle at high speeds to navigate through the tight, winding roads.

It is yet to see a single person win twice, although that may be undone tomorrow with Red Bull's Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen looking menacing so far, perhaps why it is so loved by the sport's fans.

The spectacle puts the spotlight onto Baku, and in turn Azerbaijan, and emphasises a historical city with a bustling atmosphere and sensational scenery.

Azerbaijan Sports Minister Farid Gayibov said it himself, the event has done wonders for the country.

"Ever since we first hosted this event in 2016, the economic, social, and cultural impact of the sport on our city and country has been remarkable," he beamed proudly at today's extension deal.

"The Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a source of great pride for the whole country and will now continue to inspire and excite our fans for a further three years."

The genuine good that the Grand Prix is doing for Azerbaijan is simultaneously pushing a great deal of unpleasantness under the rug, to put it very mildly.

Human rights group International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)-Europe has regularly ranked Azerbaijan as the worst state in Europe for LGBT rights protection.

Since 2015, it has scored abysmally on the organisation's Rainbow Europe review with 2022 seeing it bottom of the ranking with 2 per cent.

The system assesses what life is like for LGBT+ people in every country across the continent, covering discrimination, family recognition, hate speech and crimes, gender recognition, freedom of assembly, association and express, and asylum laws.

One cleric called trans people "cursed by God" and said killing those in same-sex relations is justified.

Member of Parliament Javid Osmanov said in an interview that "LGBT people and feminists should be isolated" as they only bring "bad habits" to society while another politician, Eldar Guliyev from the ruling party, stated that LGBT people should be expelled from the country.

There have also been countless examples of sexuality-based violence, including the murder of prominent activist Avaz Hafizli.

The trial saw other LGBT+ activists and journalists barred from entering the courtroom.

Last year the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination produced a damning report on Azerbaijan focusing on the 2020 Nagorno-Karabagh Conflict.

It claimed that "severe and grave human rights violations ... against prisoners of war and other protected persons of Armenian ethnic or national origin, including extrajudicial killings, torture and other ill-treatment and arbitrary detention as well as the destruction of houses, schools, and other civilian facilities".

Furthermore, the U.S. State Department accused the country of a wide variety of human rights abuses, including "unlawful or arbitrary killing", "heavy restrictions on free expression, the press, and the internet", and "the worst forms of child labour".

The 2023 Formula One season has not got off to the best start in terms of host countries that have questionable human rights records.

The first two of three Grands Prix saw the sport visit Bahrain and Saudi Arabia before this weekend's event.

Dates in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also scheduled later in the year.

With this in mind, it makes sense to ask the question of Formula One and its sportswashing problem.

It took an entire war for organisers to terminate its contract with Russia and the Sochi Grand Prix and not the many abuses that preceded it.

Formula One drivers have been doing their bit to raise awareness against these regimes, with the likes of Britain's Lewis Hamilton donning a rainbow helmet for the Qatar Grand Prix and Dutchman Max Verstappen saying that F1 had "$90 million reasons to stay in Saudi Arabia." 

Like almost all cases of sportswashing, money is so often the motivating factor.

There is still hope for Azerbaijan however, it just requires a mass upheaval in the country's leadership.

Since Ilham Aliyev took power as President in 2003, Freedom House consistently ranked Azerbaijan as "not free" with its scores ranking towards the very bottom of the scale and declining further.

Baku is a fantastic metropolis and deserves to be able to host events such as the Grand Prix.

The quicker the rest of the country can catch up to what is a thriving place, the better so the world can enjoy everything it has to offer guilt-free.