Politics threaten Russian Grand Prix

Only two years away from what should be the inaugural Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix, politics could well cause serious delays in preparation. The race track, which will be situated in near the Olympic Park in Sochi, has had very little construction work completed on it recently.

However, Igor Yermilin is confident the race will go ahead as scheduled, regardless of the governmental reshuffle that has recently taken place within Sochi’s region of Krasnodar. Omega, the company which is responsible for holding the inaugural race, has lost representatives due to this reshuffle, a fact which could cause serious delays to the construction of the circuit and in turn the race itself.

"In the Krasnodar region there has been quite serious changes in the leadership," Explained Igor Yermilin, an adviser to the Russian Automobile Federation, in an interview with RIA Novosti. “Regional governor Alexander Tkachev has been re-appointed, but the entire rest of the team has changed, including people from Omega who signed the contract on holding the Russian Grand Prix.”

The Russian Grand Prix is scheduled to take place only months after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, which will take place within Sochi. With this the case, plans for the construction on the circuit allegedly isn’t high on the agenda at this current time. Rumor has it that the track surface will not be laid until after the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony, with the track being built around the Olympic park.

"The main thing at the moment is the Olympics, the Grand Prix is on the back burner.” Continued Igor Yermilin, “Although there may be serious delays in meeting preparation deadlines, I have no doubts that this event will be held successfully. Our country has never failed in delivering such big international events, nor has it neglected its obligations.”

Not only is the inaugural Russian Grand Prix potentially in trouble, the return of the French Grand Prix is now also looking unlikely. Once again, politics is the reason for this uncertainty, with France’s newly elected President, Francois Hollande, seemingly unimpressed with the idea of government funding for the race.

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