Formula 1 confirmed the change of the city of the Russian Grand Prix. Local racing fans have been hearing rumors about moving from Sochi here and there for many months, and finally, it’s official: Formula 1 will take place in St. Petersburg at the Autodrom Igora Drive race track.
Well, it’s not exactly Saint Petersburg. And the fans who are going to visit it should be informed: Igora is not located in St. Petersburg, and not even somewhat close. Officially, it’s even a different Russia region! Wait, we are going to explain now.
The official site of Formula 1 informs that the home of the Russian Grand Prix will be changed in 2023, and Sochi will not host the race weekend anymore. Instead of that, Formula 1 will come to Autodrom Igora Drive. The reasons for the decision were not given, so we only can guess that it’s about the financial priorities of Sochi, Igora, and/or Formula 1 itself.
The press release also mentions that the Autodrom Igora Drive is located outside Saint Petersburg, 54 km from the city which is correct if you count it from its north border. If you look at the road from all the places that you see on beautiful postcards, it will be almost 80 km.
What is Igora exactly? It’s a resort in the Leningrad Oblast, the region that surrounds St. Petersburg. The resort is located in the middle of woods and rivers, in a rural area. And now there’s also the Autodrom. So, no one will drive among all of the famous churches and bridges.
The fans anyway look happy: usually, Sochi hosted boring races due to circuit configuration. The designer of Autodrom Igora Drive is the same as of Sochi one, but people look at this circuit and expect more places where the drivers could compete, which potentially will make races here more interesting. We will see!
To get to Igora you will need to drive for more than an hour, depends on the place where you start and the traffic situation. There are buses from northern St. Petersburg’s subway stations and suburban trains from the city center and several stops on their way. Probably it won’t be possible to get to the Autodrom for less than two hours. So you might consider staying in Igora.
The resort of course has several places where you could stay, but the price is the thing to be discovered. Igora is not too cheap at all. Also, if you want to not only visit the Russian Grand Prix in St. Petersburg but also see the city itself, you’ll need to come earlier or leave later and stay in Saint Petersburg like a regular tourist. But why not? Honestly, if the price of staying in Igora will be ok for you, this is a perfect plan. Prices in St. Petersburg are much lower than those at Igora.
