Sochi Autodrom

The Sochi Autodrom (Russian: Сочи Автодром),[2] previously known as the Sochi International Street Circuit[3] and the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, is a 5.848 km Formula One permanent race track in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.[4][5]

Sochi Autodrom

LocationSochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Time zoneMSK+0 (UTC+3)
Coordinates43.410278°N 39.968271°E / 43.410278; 39.968271
Capacity55,000
FIA Grade1
Broke groundJuly 2011 (2011-07)
Opened21 September 2014 (2014-09-21)[1]
ArchitectHermann Tilke
Major eventsFIA Formula One
Russian Grand Prix (from 2014)
FIA Formula 2 Championship (from 2018)
FIA Formula 3 Championship (from 2019)
TCR International Series (2015-2016)
Russian Touring Car Championship (from 2014)
GP2 Series (2014–2015)
GP3 Series (2014–2015, 2018)
SMP F4 Championship (2015-2017)
Grand Prix circuit
Length5.848 km (3.634 mi)
Turns18
Race lap record1:35.761 ( Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2019, F1)
Short circuit
Length2.313 km (1.437 mi)
Websitesochiautodrom.ru

The circuit is similar to the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit and the Sydney Olympic Park Circuit in that it runs around a former Olympic complex; in this case, the Sochi Olympic Park site, scene of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The inaugural World Championship Russian Grand Prix took place in 2014, beginning a seven-year contract.

Also, the TCR International Series raced at Sochi in June 2015, with the TCR Russian Series and SMP F4 Championship as support series.

Development
The circuit and the Olympic Park, as it appeared in 2018

Earlier the International Olympic Committee was given the power to delay the race until 2015 if preparations for the race interfered with the Winter Olympics,[6] though the Games started without interruption. In October 2011, the Russian government set aside US$195.4 million for the construction of the circuit.[7]

The construction of the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit marked the end of a thirty-year campaign for a Russian Grand Prix, with plans for a "Grand Prix of the Soviet Union" originating as early as 1983 before being abandoned for "bureaucratic reasons"[8] and several failed attempts[9][10][11] in the intervening years.

The circuit received its final approval from the FIA in August 2014.[12]

The circuit
The start of the 2014 Russian Grand Prix

The 5.848-kilometre (3.634 mi) 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.[13] The circuit is built around the Sochi Olympic Park, that is the coastal cluster of Olympic venues built for the 2014 Winter Olympics that have hosted competitions in ice hockey, speed skating, curling, figure skating, short track etc., and Fisht Olympic Stadium where Opening and Closing ceremonies were held. The surface was not laid until after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics.[14]

Aerial view of the Sochi Autodrome

The circuit, designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, has the start grid on the northern edge of the Olympic Park next to the railway station, heading southwest towards the Black Sea coast. Then it runs along the outer edge of the central Sochi Medals Plaza, that is the podium for Olympic medal ceremonies. The long Turn 3 is one of the most notable on the circuit, and has been compared to the famous Turn 8 in Istanbul Park.[15] Then, the track circles the plaza counterclockwise and makes three turns around the Bolshoy Ice Dome. Then follow series of tight corners before turning north where the track skirts the edge of the Olympic Park, above the main Olympic Village and the Adler Arena Skating Center. Then it passes the skating and curling centres, before funneling up behind the pit paddock toward the train station, and completing a circuit with two ninety-degree right turns.

Lap records
Class/Category Event Event Type Time Driver Team / Vehicle
Formula One 2018 Russian Grand Prix Outright 1:31.387 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+
Formula One 2019 Russian Grand Prix Race 1:35.761 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+
FIA Formula 2 Championship Sochi F2 2018 Race 1:50.501[16] George Russell ART Grand Prix
FIA Formula 3 Championship Sochi F3 2019 Race 1:55.513[16] Jake Hughes HWA Racelab
GP2 Sochi GP2 2014 Race 1:46.407[16] Stoffel Vandoorne ART Grand Prix
GP3 Sochi GP3 2015 Race 1:52.459[16] Esteban Ocon ART Grand Prix
TCR International Series Race 1 2015 Race 2:21.115 Pepe Oriola Team Craft-Bamboo LUKOIL SEAT Leon

See also

References
  1. "Sochi Autodrom officially opened in Russia". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. "2014 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix". Formula 1.com. Formula One Administration. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  3. Kabanovsky, Aleksander (22 April 2013). "Vettel impressed by Russian circuit after first visit". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  4. Collantine, Keith (14 October 2010). "Russia to join F1 calendar in 2014". F1 Fanatic. Keith Collantine. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  5. "OMEGA". OMEGA (Developer). Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  6. "IOC threatens to postpone Russian Grand Prix". GP Update. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  7. Elizalde, Pablo (26 October 2012). "Russia to spend $200m on F1 track". Autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  8. "Формула нелюбви". nevasport.ru. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  9. "Москва возвращается к проекту трассы "Формулы-1"". lenta.ru. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  10. Joseph, Noah. "Formula Onovich: Russian Grand Prix gears up again". autoblog.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  11. "Время новостей: N°100, 08 июня 2001". vremya.ru. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  12. Baldwin, Alan (20 August 2014). "New Sochi circuit wins FIA seal of approval". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  13. Collantine, Keith (24 October 2014). "India's F1 track: Another cookie-cutter circuit?". F1 Fanatic. Keith Collantine. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  14. Saward, Joe (23 January 2012). "Meanwhile on the Russian Riviera". Joe Saward blogs about the world of F1. WordPress. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  15. "Sochi uncovered - the inside track on Russia's first F1 circuit". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  16. "Database Homepage". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
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