Formula 1 has announced that its Russian Grand Prix will move from Sochi to the Autodrom Igora Drive circuit near Saint Petersburg from 2023.
F1 said it would provide more details on the Saint Petersburg race in the coming months. The Autodrom Igora Drive circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke and received its FIA Grade 1 licence last year.
The Sochi Autodrom (pictured) is due to stage the Russian Grand Prix on September 26 and F1 said it is looking forward to racing at the street circuit for the next two years. Sochi has hosted the Russian Grand Prix since 2014.
F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali said: “I am pleased to confirm that the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix from 2023 will be held at Igora Drive. This was the result of intensive work with our Russian partners and a detailed study of this delightful track. I am impressed with Saint Petersburg and I am confident that the Russian Grand Prix at Igora Drive will be an amazing event.”
The Igora Drive circuit is 4.06km long and features 15 corners. The same promoter that organises the Sochi Grand Prix is set to organise the new race near St Petersburg.
Work on the Igora Drive circuit began in 2017 and was finished in 2019. The track, which is 54km from Saint Petersburg, had been due to host DTM, W Series and World Rallycross Championship events last year before they were cancelled due to the pandemic.
The Sochi street circuit is located on the site where the city’s winter Olympic and Paralympic Games were held in 2014.
Image: Planet Labs, Inc./CC BY-SA 4.0/Edited for size
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