Russian Grand Prix
In 1913, a race began in Saint Petersburg under the Russian Empire. Georgy Suvorin drove a Benz car to victory with a time of two hours, twenty-three minutes, and fifty-four point six seconds. He finished ahead of Ivan Ivanov who piloted a Russo-Balt. The event took place on a circuit that would never host another race for over a century. A second race followed in 1914 at the same location. Willy Scholl won that year driving a Benz car in one hour, forty-eight minutes, and thirty-two point two seconds. Stepan Ovsyannikov came second in a Vauxhall. Eugenio Beria d'Argentine finished third in an Aquila Italiana. The outbreak of the First World War halted all racing activity immediately after these two events. The Russian Civil War ensured the Grand Prix remained abandoned forever.
Plans emerged in the early 1980s to hold a Grand Prix of the Soviet Union in Moscow. A provisional calendar listed the date as the 21st of August 1983. Bureaucratic barriers prevented the race from ever taking place. Bernie Ecclestone continued his quest to organize a race behind the Iron Curtain despite these failures. Hungary became the first communist country to host a Formula One race instead. Vladimir Putin expressed personal support for the Pulkovskoe Ring project near Pulkovo Airport in 2001. Another attempt arose in 2003 when the Moscow council approved a track in the Molzhaninovsky District. That project ended due to a dispute over the commercial contract. Work began on the Moscow Raceway at Fedyukovo village in September 2008. Hermann Tilke designed this circuit to host both Formula One and Moto GP races. The plan never realized a Grand Prix, though the track hosted international motorsport rounds by 2012.
The new Russian Grand Prix was officially announced on the 14th of October 2010. It debuted in 2014 at the Sochi Autodrom located within the Olympic Park. Vitaly Petrov had become Russia's first Formula One driver in 2010 while driving for Renault. This added momentum to the project before its official launch. Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural event held on the 12th of October 2014. Nico Rosberg finished second as his teammate from Mercedes-Benz. Valtteri Bottas of Williams took third place. Mercedes claimed their first constructors' title with that one-two finish. The race continued annually through 2021 with Mercedes drivers winning every single time. Sebastian Vettel crashed out of the 2016 race after being hit by Daniil Kvyat. Fernando Alonso failed to start due to power unit problems in 2017. George Russell crashed into barriers at Turn 9 during the 2019 event.
On the 24th of February 2022, Formula One suspended the contract following the invasion of Ukraine. Officials stated it would be impossible to hold the race under current circumstances. World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen called for cancellation beforehand. The race was officially cancelled on the 1st of March 2022. A new contract signed in 2021 intended to move the event to Igora Drive starting in 2023. That track sat north of Saint Petersburg and opened in 2019. Plans existed to extend the layout from fifteen turns to nineteen turns. However, the Russian invasion led to immediate termination of all future contracts on the 3rd of March 2022. No further races occurred at Sochi or anywhere else in Russia.
Igora Drive remained a planned relocation site that never hosted a Grand Prix. The circuit was designed with an original layout containing fifteen turns. Extensions were scheduled to increase the count to nineteen turns by 2023. Work began on the facility in 2019 before the political crisis halted progress. The Moscow Raceway had previously hosted rounds of the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. It also held events for the FIA GT1 World Championship and Superbike World Championship. These were the first internationally accredited motorsport events to take place in Russia. Despite the completion of the physical track, no Formula One race ever ran there. The project died alongside the Sochi Autodrom contract due to geopolitical conflict.
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Common questions
When did the first Russian Grand Prix take place?
The first Russian Grand Prix took place in 1913. Georgy Suvorin won that race driving a Benz car on a circuit in Saint Petersburg.
Who won the inaugural modern Russian Grand Prix at Sochi Autodrom?
Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural event held on the 12th of October 2014. Nico Rosberg finished second and Valtteri Bottas took third place.
Why was the Russian Grand Prix cancelled after 2021?
Formula One suspended the contract following the invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022. The race was officially cancelled on the 1st of March 2022 due to geopolitical conflict.
Where was the planned relocation site for the Russian Grand Prix located?
Igora Drive sat north of Saint Petersburg and opened in 2019. Plans existed to extend the layout from fifteen turns to nineteen turns before the project ended.
What happened to the Moscow Raceway project at Fedyukovo village?
Work began on the Moscow Raceway at Fedyukovo village in September 2008. Hermann Tilke designed this circuit but it never hosted a Formula One Grand Prix despite hosting other international motorsport rounds by 2012.