Sochi organisers still hopeful of Russian GP night race

The organisers behind the Russian Grand Prix have not given up hopes of hosting a night race around the Olympic Park circuit. Sochi has been on the F1 calendar since 2014 but race organisers are still hopeful of turning the event into a night race.

The company behind the organisation of the event, Rosgonki, is pushing for a night race which would make Russia the fourth event on the calendar to be held at night.

Speaking to Ria Novosti news agency, head of the company Alexei Titov said that they were looking whether it would be feasible to host a night race.

"We are always trying to find the best option that would be convenient for the fans and economically justified.

"Now we seem to have the best option, with the Olympic Park against the backdrop of the sea and the mountains that look great on the TV in beautiful September.

"But we cannot rule out the option that one of the races will be at night."

Event organisers had previously explored the possibility of hosting a race at night last season however Deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak ruled against the event being converted from a day race.

Speaking to the media last year at the Russian Grand Prix, Kozak said he felt the quality of the event would not be the same if it became a night race.

“We can see the beautiful Olympic venues, great landscapes and there are no reasons to move it to evening hours.

“There is no way we could achieve the same quality at a later time.”