Sochi Olympic Park Circuit
Encyclopedia
The Olympic Park Circuit is a 5.9km Formula One
racing road course/street circuit
currently under construction in the Black Sea
resort town of Sochi
in Krasnodar Krai
, Russia
.
The circuit is similar to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
and the Sydney Olympic Park Circuit
in that it will be run around the Sochi Olympic Park site, scene of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The inaugural race is due to take place in 2014, starting a seven-year contract; however, it has been reported that the race may be pushed back to 2015 if the International Olympic Committee
believes that preparations for the race will interfere with the Winter Olympics. In October 2011, the Russian government set aside US$195.4 million for the construction of the circuit.
The construction of the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit marks the end of a thirty-year campaign for Russian Grand Prix
, with plans for a "Grand Prix of the Soviet Union" originating as early as 1983
before being abandoned for "bureaucratic reasons" and several failed attempts in the intervening years.
in Belgium and Silverstone
in Great Britain. The circuit will based entirely the Sochi Olympic Park "coastal cluster", a collection of venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics that will host ice hockey, speed skating and the stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The circuit will start on the northern edge of the Olympic Park near the train station, running down to the central "medals plaza", the podium for Olympic medals presentations. The circuit will circle the plaza and head east to the Bolshoi Ice Palace
and navigate a series to tight corners before turning north where it will skirt the edge of the Olympic Park, above the main Olympic Village and the Sochi Olympic Oval
. It will then pass the skating
and curling centres
, before funneling up behind the pit paddock toward the train station, and completing a circuit with a one hundred and eighty degree bend. Some 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) of the circuit length will take place on public roads.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing road course/street circuit
Street circuit
A street circuit is a racing circuit composed by temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Facilities such as the paddock, pit boxes, fences and grandstands are usually placed temporarily and removed soon after the race is over but in modern times the...
currently under construction in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
resort town of Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
in Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai
-External links:* **...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The circuit is similar to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
and the Sydney Olympic Park Circuit
Homebush Street Circuit
The Homebush Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit around the former Olympic precinct at Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales. The track was used for the first time at the final round of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series, the inaugural Sydney 500.-The circuit:The circuit was...
in that it will be run around the Sochi Olympic Park site, scene of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The inaugural race is due to take place in 2014, starting a seven-year contract; however, it has been reported that the race may be pushed back to 2015 if the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
believes that preparations for the race will interfere with the Winter Olympics. In October 2011, the Russian government set aside US$195.4 million for the construction of the circuit.
The construction of the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit marks the end of a thirty-year campaign for Russian Grand Prix
Russian Grand Prix
The Russian Grand Prix was a Grand Prix motor race briefly held in the 1910s in St. Petersburg. It is expected that on 100th anniversary of the last Russian Grand Prix, a new race, a round of the Formula One World Championship, due to join the calendar in 2014...
, with plans for a "Grand Prix of the Soviet Union" originating as early as 1983
1983 Formula One season
The 1983 Formula One season included the 34th FIA Formula One World Championship which commenced on March 13, and ended on October 15 after fifteen races. Nelson Piquet won the World Drivers' Championship, his second Formula One title and the first one ever won by a driver using a turbocharged engine...
before being abandoned for "bureaucratic reasons" and several failed attempts in the intervening years.
The circuit
At 5.9 kilometres (3.7 mi), circuit will be the third-longest circuit on the Formula One calendar, behind Spa-FrancorchampsCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its...
in Belgium and Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
in Great Britain. The circuit will based entirely the Sochi Olympic Park "coastal cluster", a collection of venues for the 2014 Winter Olympics that will host ice hockey, speed skating and the stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The circuit will start on the northern edge of the Olympic Park near the train station, running down to the central "medals plaza", the podium for Olympic medals presentations. The circuit will circle the plaza and head east to the Bolshoi Ice Palace
Bolshoi Ice Palace
The Bolshoi Ice Palace is a description of a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia that is currently in the planning stages."Bolshoi" literally means "Major", hence the correct English name for the Bolshoi Ice Palace would be the "Major Ice Palace". It is due to be open in 2012...
and navigate a series to tight corners before turning north where it will skirt the edge of the Olympic Park, above the main Olympic Village and the Sochi Olympic Oval
Sochi Olympic Oval
The Sochi Olympic Oval is a description of a 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia that is currently in the planning stages. It is due to be open in 2011. After it is completed, it will host the speed skating events at the 2014 Winter Olympics. It will cost $32.8 million to build the...
. It will then pass the skating
Sochi Olympic Skating Centre
The Sochi Olympic Skating Centre is a description of a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia that is currently in the planning stages. It is due to be open in 2012. After it is completed, it will host the short track speed skating and figure skating events at the 2014 Winter Olympics...
and curling centres
Sochi Olympic Curling Centre
The Sochi Olympic Curling Centre is a description of a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Sochi, Russia that is currently in the planning stages....
, before funneling up behind the pit paddock toward the train station, and completing a circuit with a one hundred and eighty degree bend. Some 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi) of the circuit length will take place on public roads.