Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat is all in if the decision is made for the F1 Russian GP to move to St Petersburg from Sochi Autodrom.
On the eve of the 2019 Russian GP, news around a new venue for the F1 grand prix surfaced with a move from Sochi to St Petersburg post the 2020 season – a move backed back by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
At present, the Russian GP is hosted at the venue where the 2014 Winter Olympics were held. However, with development planned for the area where the track runs, changes are expected for the future.
The alterations may ruin the F1 circuit configuration, which pushed the idea of St Petersburg. The move – should it happen – got a thumbs up from the only Russian F1 racer on the grid, Kvyat.
“I think as long as there is a racing in Russia, I am up for it,” he said to the media. “Maybe it’s not a bad idea to have it closer to that region, also, where it’s more accessible to the people from Moscow, from St Petersburg, maybe it will bring more spectators which is cool.
“And maybe fans from Europe [could travel], especially from Finland, let’s say, it’s a very popular sport there, it will be cool. Why not? It’s not a bad idea. Sochi is very nice but who knows if there it could be even better?”
With the topic of Finns coming in for the grand prix if moved to St Petersburg, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Alfa Romeo Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen were all-in as well.
“For sure, maybe we could have some more,” said Bottas. “Obviously, a Finnish Grand Prix would be nice as well, but maybe more Finns would be there, possibly.”
And, Raikkonen added – in his typical style: “We go where the race is. I would guess that there are Finns, I guess Finns are watching here, I’m sure. It’s a lot easier, for sure.”
It remains to be seen if the grand prix is move to a new venue as the current contract with the organisers runs until the 2025 season, which means if it does move, there will be at least five seasons at St Petersburg.
The story is written by Venkatesh P Koushik and edited by Darshan Chokhani