24/07/2013
NEWS STORY
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Organisers of the Russian Grand Prix, to be held at the Olympic Park in Sochi, claim they have been given October 19 as the date of the inaugural event in 2014.
Though the World Motor Sport Council is not scheduled to announce the provisional 2014 calendar until September, after which it will be ratified early in December, the promoter, Formula Sochi, claims the most likely date for the inaugural event is October 19.
"We are pleased to announce that the International Formula 1 Promoter, Formula One Management, has set a preliminary date for Russian Grand Prix on the calendar of 2014," said Oleg Zabara, Deputy General Director of OJSC Center Omega. "The date fits perfectly into our plans for the Grand Prix organization. Construction of the circuit is nearing completion; preparations for the first Russian Grand Prix are well underway.
"The hosting of the event will open up fresh commercial perspectives, the opportunity to attract more Russian and foreign tourists by extending the holiday season in southern Russia. I am sure Sochi will become a modern and comfortable 'home of Motorsport' with its own inimitable style for all Formula 1 fans.
"Today we are submitting a formal application to the Russian Automobile Federation for inclusion of the Russian Grand Prix on the FIA calendar."
The agreement for Russia to host a round of the world championship in Sochi was signed by Bernie Ecclestone and OJSC Center Omega in October 2010, in the presence of Vladimir Putin.