Sochi Olympic Park Circuit

Olympic Park Circuit

Location	Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russian Federation
Time zone	MSK+0 (UTC+4)
Coordinates	43°24′20″N 39°57′28″E / 43.405687°N 39.957778°E / 43.405687; 39.957778Coordinates: 43°24′20″N 39°57′28″E / 43.405687°N 39.957778°E / 43.405687; 39.957778
Broke ground	July 2011
Architect	Hermann Tilke
Major events	FIA Formula One Russian Grand Prix (from 2014)
Large lap
Length	5.872 km (3.649 mi)
Turns	16
Small lap
Length	2.312 km (1.437 mi)

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.^[1][2] 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.^[3]

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"^[4] and several failed attempts^[5][6][7] in the intervening years.

The circuit

At 5.9-kilometre (3.7 mi), circuit will be the third-longest circuit on the Formula One calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and Silverstone in Great Britain.^[8] 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.

References

1. ^ Collantine, Keith (2010-10-14). "Russia to join F1 calendar in 2014". F1 Fanatic (Keith Collantine). http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/10/14/russia-to-join-f1-calendar-in-2014/. Retrieved 2011-06-25. 
2. ^ "OMEGA". OMEGA (Developer). http://www.omega2014.ru/projects/formula1/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
3. ^ http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95683
4. ^ Формула нелюбви
5. ^ Lenta.ru: Москва возвращается к проекту трассы "Формулы-1"
6. ^ Formula Onovich: Russian Grand Prix gears up again - Autoblog
7. ^ Еще одна трасса для «Формулы-1»
8. ^ http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/10/24/indian-grand-prix-circuit/

See also

• 2014 Winter Olympics

External links

• OMEGA Center (official development site)