Situated in the streets winding around the 2014 Winter Olympics park, the Sochi Autodrom circuit will welcome its third successive Russian Grand Prix in 2016, though the race will arrive far earlier on the Formula One schedule following its switch to May after successive October races.
The May date coincides with the start of a national holiday in Russia and race organisers, OJSC “Center ”Omega”, are hopeful the move will bring increased attendances, with the 55,000 capacity at the Autodrom set to be increased for the 2016 race.
“This date is very good for us,” said race promoter Sergey Vorobyev. “For the local audiences this is an amazing gift because 1st May marks the start of a long holiday – some people take five days off from work, or the whole ten days, and so they will have a good chance to visit Sochi and the Grand Prix and to ski in the mountains.”
The circuit was intended as a year-round venue to maintain the tourist drive to Sochi following the 2014 Games. In 2015 Sochi Autodrom hosted more than additional 70 sporting and corporate events and track experience days are another way in which the circuit is being employed.
Ongoing world events mean Russia will continue to prove a controversial destination and security remains a high concern, but Vorobyev said talks have been held with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone about extending the race contract beyond 2020. OJSC “Center ”Omega” have also stated their intention to hold a night race in future in a bid to emulate the success of Singapore’s annual floodlit spectacle. That plan is said to have Ecclestone’s backing since staging the race at dusk would put it in a primetime slot on European television.
Vorobyev said the switch to a night race could come as early as 2017, though he acknowledged that “some technical investment and some additional operational spend” will be necessary to realise this ambition. “For the Grands Prix in 2015 and 2016 our plan is to bring in enough to money to cover these additional operational expenses. So when we figure out how to make enough money to have a night race we are sure that this will attract an even greater audience.”
For the 2015 Grand Prix Russian president Vladimir Putin was once again in attendance in Sochi and another capacity crowd demonstrated that the appetite for motorsport is growing in Russia. For Vorobyev, the arrival of the Baku European Grand Prix in neighbouring Azerbaijan in 2016 will help bolster the audience for Formula One in the region.
Reports of financial difficulties surfaced in the build-up to the 2015 race, with Russian media outlets reporting that race organisers required a US$70 million bailout by the national government to stage the Grand Prix. The race went ahead as planned and corporate ticket sales exceeded the first year, accounting for 20 per cent of the overall ticketing, while Vorobyev insisted the financial status was also secure for the 2016 race. He was confident any future races would also receive the necessary funding, but reports that the regional government will drop its funding from 2016 continue to create uncertainty.