No night race in Russia

Organisers of the Russian grand prix have backed away from their earlier deliberations about turning the Sochi event into a night race.

Before Bernie Ecclestone was deposed as F1 supremo, talks took place about potentially installing the necessary floodlighting so that the race can be held after sunset in the future.

"It’s a new management team in formula one now, and there are doubts that it makes sense to do the grand prix of Russia at night," deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak told the Tass news agency.

"The TV picture is important for sports fans around the world, and the sea, the mountains all look very nice on the TV at the moment," he added.

Sochi’s current F1 contract runs until 2025.