On the eve of the start of the sixth in the history of the Russian Grand Prix, the British media reported on the possible future of the Russian Formula 1 stage. According to the Daily Mail, the “royal race” will move from Sochi to St. Petersburg. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is ready to allocate funding for this project, allegedly stands for a change of registration. According to the newspaper, negotiations are at an advanced stage.
According to British journalists, this decision is also supported by the management company of the "royal races" Liberty Media, which has owned Formula 1 since 2017. The leaders of the American media company aim to transfer the stages of the most prestigious racing series to “status cities” such as Miami and Las Vegas. In this regard, a possible move in 2021 from Sochi to St. Petersburg, the second most important city in Russia, fits into the accepted course.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin denied the publication of the British tabloid. According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, plans for a possible transfer of the Russian Grand Prix from Sochi are not under discussion by the head of state.
“This issue is not on the agenda,” RIA Novosti quotes Peskov.
The ANGO "Rosgonki", which owns the official rights to organize the stage of "Formula 1" in Russia, also did not confirm the information of the British media.
“We have a contract with Formula 1 until 2025, and Sochi is registered there,” said Alexey Titov, the organization’s general director.
- "Sochi Circuit"
- © Alexey Filippov / RIA News
As Ilya Dzhus, spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, added, representatives of ANGO “Rosgonki” did not discuss with the copyright holder the possibility of transferring the Russian stage from the Sochi Autodrom highway.
“The current contract for the right to host Formula 1 races involves the organization of the Russian stage of the championship in Sochi and is valid until 2025,” Jusa quotes Interfax as saying.
Meanwhile, RaceFans claims that Sochi will indeed host the Russian Grand Prix for the last time next year. According to the portal, the construction of the concert hall will lead to the fact that the length of the route will be reduced from the current 5.8 km to a little more than 2 km, which will make it impossible to hold the stage in the Formula 1 class.
The rumors about a possible move from Sochi to St. Petersburg have already been commented on by the current Formula 1 pilots, including Daniil Kvyat, the Russian Toro Rosso driver.
“Maybe it's a good idea to have the race take place where more spectators could attend. Fans from St. Petersburg and Moscow, from Europe, especially from Finland, where motorsport is popular, will be able to come. Everything is wonderful in Sochi, but if the race can be made even better, then why not? ”Said Kvyat at a press conference, answering RT’s question.
Finnish riders Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) sitting next to him reacted positively to a possible change of registration.
“Yes, of course, more Formula 1 fans will come.” Obviously, it would be cool to host the Finnish Grand Prix, but there will be many Finnish fans in St. Petersburg, ”said Bottas.
Recall that the distance from the Finnish capital Helsinki to St. Petersburg is about 388 km.
“We are going where they say. I am sure that there are Finnish fans here. But, of course, it will be easier for them to get there, ”Raikkonen added.
- "Igora Drive"
- © avtodor.spb.ru
The construction of the Igora Drive race track is underway near the Igora ski resort in the Priozersky district of the Leningrad Region. Its design was carried out by the famous racing architect German Tilke, who created many Formula 1 tracks, including Sochi. The track will have a total length of 4764 meters and will consist of 17 turns - nine right and eight left.
“We are building the most modern world-class track, the largest race track in the country. In terms of quality, it will be on a par with Sochi and Moscow, and will host races of the highest level. Here, they will certainly hold both the Russian championship and Formula 1. I think this will give impetus to the development of motorsport in our country, ”Dmitry Voronov, three-time Russian rally champion, told the City + portal in December 2018.
According to media reports, the preview of the construction of the highway was attended by the president of the FIA Automobile Federation, Jean Todt, as well as the first Russian Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov.
At the same time, in May 2019, an unpleasant incident occurred on Igora Drive. During the construction of the stands, building structures collapsed, at least six people were injured. The Investigative Committee opened a case under Part 1 of Art. 216 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Violation of safety rules during construction work, which entailed, through negligence, infliction of grievous harm to human health").