MOSCOW, July 3 (R-Sport) - The Moscow government will start work next year on construction of a racetrack capable of hosting Formula One races, a leading city planning official in the Russian capital said Wednesday.
“On this track, it will be possible to hold a round of Formula One racing. The rest of the time it could be used by car fans and for motorsport competitions,” said Moscow development official Vladimir Zhidkin.
Building work will start next year on a site near Vnukovo airport to the south of the capital, with the track to be part-funded by the airport, he said. The completion date is 2016.
Zhidkin’s role puts him in charge of a range of major projects for a 1,380-square-kilometer area of mostly rural land transferred to city government control in 2011.
Plans to host F1 in Moscow date back to the Soviet era and have been regularly mooted ever since, but the first Russian Grand Prix will be held next year in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, 1,500 kilometers south of the capital.
There is already a major racetrack near the Russian capital. The Moscow Raceway opened last year and is certified to hold F1 testing, but would need upgrades to transport and accommodation facilities in order to hold F1 races.
Moscow Raceway already hosts rounds of the World Series by Renault, the World Superbike Championship and Germany’s DTM touring car championship.
