Russian Grand Prix 2014: 6 Key Facts About Sochi Circuit
Formula One heads to Sochi, Russia this week with Jules Bianchi still in the hospital following his terrifying crash in Japan and the dark cloud of the Russia–Ukraine conflict hanging over Eastern Europe.
This is F1's first visit to Russia and a completely new circuit—the Sochi Autodrom—has been built for the occasion in the resort city on the Black Sea.
Sochi is best-known as the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics and the new racetrack has been built around the Olympic park.
To help you get ready for the race on Sunday, here are six facts about the Sochi circuit.
A Long Time Coming
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F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has been trying to hold a race in Russia since the 1980s. At the time, his desire to have a race behind the Iron Curtain led to the establishment of the Hungarian Grand Prix when plans fell through for a race in Moscow's Red Square.
"They didn't want to replace the cobblestones with paving," Ecclestone told CNN's Ben Wyatt earlier this year.
Although a new circuit—the Moscow Raceway—was recently constructed in the Russian capital, the F1 race will take place in Sochi, a popular resort that Russia is trying to build into an international sporting destination.
As mentioned, the city has already hosted the Olympics and some matches from the 2018 FIFA World Cup will also be staged in Sochi.
Around an Olympic Park
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One of the shames of some modern Olympics is that the venues are left unused after the games. Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, is a perfect example.
Russia does not want the same thing to happen with the infrastructure built in Sochi and the grand prix circuit, which runs around the Olympic park, should help.
Speaking about the race, Russia president Vladimir Putin said, "For us it's an important event because it would be possible to use effectively everything we have created for the Olympic Games in 2014," per the BBC.
According to Reuters' Darya Korsunskaya, the deal to hold the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi until at least 2020 is worth over $200 million (in other words, that is how much the organisers are paying Ecclestone and Formula One Management for the privilege of hosting the race).
A Putin Pet Project
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President Putin has been very visible during the development of the Sochi circuit, meeting with Ecclestone on a number of occasions. In March 2014, he even personally assured Ecclestone that the track would be ready for the race.
And the Russian president is nothing if not enthusiastic—he even drove an F1 car in St. Petersburg in 2010, per the Daily Mail.
Putin's desire to host the race—along with all the other international sporting competitions—is an obvious attempt to bolster Russia's credibility. With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, there have been calls to postpone the race, but Ecclestone has always maintained the race will happen.
"If people have got arguments with Russia, maybe they have [issues]," he said, according to Reuters' Alan Baldwin. "I don't know. We haven't got any."
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Hermann Tilke's Lucky 13th
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Like all recent F1 circuits, the Sochi Autodrom was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke. When the lights go out on Sunday, the Russian circuit will be the 13th designed by Tilke to host an F1 race.
Although a number of his designs have been criticized, Tilke has also built some fantastic circuits, including Sepang in Malaysia and Istanbul Park in Turkey. It remains to be seen which category Sochi will fall into.
In February 2014, CNN's Ben Wyatt reported that the cost of the circuit was already over $330 million. This may sound like a lot for a race track, however, the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi cost £800 million (approximately $1.3 billion at the current exchange rate), per Planet F1.
Sunny Days
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Before the Olympics and F1, Sochi was already a popular summer resort. According to the official F1 website, the city averages 200 days of sunshine each year and the current BBC forecast for the race weekend is sunny and warm.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported that race organisers were trying to move the 2015 race to the beginning of the European season, in May, to overlap with the peak tourist season in Sochi. However, the provisional calendar for next season has the Russian race in the same early October time slot.
A Street-Style Circuit
6 of 6The Sochi Autodrom was originally called the Sochi International Street Circuit. It certainly features many of the characteristics of a street circuit, including plenty of 90-degree turns.
According to ESPN F1, 1.7 kilometres of the 5.872-kilometre circuit are public roads. That total length of almost six kilometres also makes Sochi the third longest circuit currently used in F1. Only Silverstone and Spa are longer.
Vitaly Petrov, a Russia former F1 driver who is working as part of the circuit's management team, said, "This won’t be just a showpiece. The track will be open all year round, and anyone with a car is welcome to test themselves on the track. We are also establishing a school for young drivers—so we are open for everyone," according to Russian broadcaster RT.
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