27 June 21
Rohan Brahmbhatt
www.mediaeyenews.com
Igora Drive will host the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix after Sochi Autodrom is scrapped from the Formula 1 calendar. Sochi Autodrom is effectively a street circuit, evolving out of the internal roads of the park which was primarily built for hosting the city’s 2014 Winter Olympics.
The 5.848-kilometer circuit is the fourth-longest circuit on the Formula One calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan, and Silverstone in the UK. The Russian Grand Prix at Sochi began in 2014 and soon developed into home territory for Mercedes, who established their dominance on the venue by winning every race in the turbo-hybrid era.
From now on there will be just two more races at most, at the Sochi Autodrom as, from 2023, Igora Drive which is situated on the outskirts of St Petersburg – is set to take over where the new Russian Grand Prix era will begin. Igora Drive is a motorsport complex in the resort of Igora near Sosnovo in Priozersky District, Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located 54 kilometers on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.
Igora Drive is an anti-clockwise 4.086 km circuit, featuring 14 corners and was designed by renowned track creator Hermann Tilke who was responsible for the creation of one of the longest Formula 1 track Sochi where we have witnessed some of the most extraordinary races in Formula 1 history.
After being constructed in 2017, the track received a Grade 1 license in 2020, which is the eligibility certificate required to be able to host a leading motorsports series such as Formula 1 and Moto GP.
The complex includes 10 professional tracks for oval track racing, drifting, rally-cross and motocross, and karting, as well as a center for emergency management. The circuit will be able to accommodate 50,000 people. “I am pleased to confirm following joint intensive work with our Russian partners and detailed assessment of Igora Drive – Formula 1 will be racing at that amazing circuit from 2023,” said F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali.
