Igora Drive (Игора Драйв)
Igora Drive (Игора Драйв) at a glance
- Location
- Novozhilovo, Leningrad Oblast
- Type
- road course
- Length
- 4.086 km (2.539 mi)
- Turns
- 15
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Opened
- 2019
- Capacity
- 50,000
- Website
- drive-igora.ru
Track map and layout
Igora Drive is a Hermann Tilke-designed circuit within the Igora ski and leisure resort about 54 km north of Saint Petersburg, opened in 2019 with FIA Grade 1 homologation. The original layout is a 4.086 km, 15-turn anti-clockwise lap with roughly 17-20 metres of elevation change across the site. A longer 5.183 km, 20-turn Grand Prix configuration was subsequently built out, extending several straights and adding a significant uphill section, specifically to meet Formula 1's requirements for the Russian Grand Prix that was due to move there from Sochi in 2023.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Original circuit | 4.09 km | 4.086 km, 15 turns, anti-clockwise; the layout used before the Grand Prix extension was built |
| Grand Prix circuit (2022-present) | 5.18 km | 5.183 km, 20 turns; built to F1 specification for the planned 2023 Russian Grand Prix, which was cancelled before it was held |
Events and race weekends
Igora Drive was built and extended to host the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix from 2023, under a contract signed in June 2021 to move the race from Sochi. That contract was terminated in March 2022 after international motorsport withdrew from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, and the Grand Prix was never run at the circuit. Igora Drive instead operates as a national venue, hosting the Russian Circuit Racing Series since 2020, the Russian Endurance Challenge, SMP RSKG Endurance, and, from 2025, SMP Formula 4.
| Event | Series | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Circuit Racing Series (RCRS) round | RCRS | varies | national touring car and single-seater series, held at the circuit since 2020 |
| Russian Endurance Challenge round | Endurance racing | July | national endurance racing series |
| SMP RSKG Endurance | Endurance racing | August | national endurance category |
| SMP Formula 4 round | SMP F4 | varies | held at the circuit since 2025 |
Getting there and parking
Igora Drive sits within the Igora resort about 54 km north of Saint Petersburg, reached by road from the city. Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport is the nearest major air gateway for visitors, with the drive from the city taking a little over an hour depending on traffic.
- Pulkovo Airport (LED) · about 75 min drive
Hotels and camping near Igora Drive (Игора Драйв)
The Igora resort itself, built around skiing and other leisure activities, has hotel accommodation on site, making it a practical base for a race weekend without travelling into Saint Petersburg. Saint Petersburg, around an hour to 90 minutes away by road, offers a far wider range of hotels for visitors who prefer to stay in the city.
Where to look
Igora resort itself (on-site accommodation) or Saint Petersburg (wider hotel choice, about 54 km / an hour or more away).
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
As a resort-based circuit built to FIA Grade 1 standard, Igora Drive's facilities support test days and driving programmes in addition to its national racing calendar, though specific public track-day operators are not confirmed from available sources.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMP3 | 1:47.916 | Konstantin Tereshchenko | — | — |
Spectator guide
Igora Drive has capacity for around 50,000 spectators, built to the FIA Grade 1 standard originally intended to support a Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix; actual crowds for the national racing events now held there are considerably smaller than that capacity implies.
Weather
- Jun-Aug (summer): warm, highs around 20-24°C, the main window for the racing calendar
- Nov-Mar (winter): cold, well below freezing at times; the Igora resort's ski season
History of Igora Drive (Игора Драйв)
Built for a Formula 1 that never came
Igora Drive was developed within the Igora ski and leisure resort north of Saint Petersburg, with groundbreaking in 2016 and Hermann Tilke engaged as designer. The circuit opened in 2019 as a 4.086 km, 15-turn FIA Grade 1 facility, quickly establishing itself as a national racing venue. In June 2021, a contract was announced to relocate the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix from Sochi to Igora Drive from 2023, and the circuit was extended to a 5.183 km, 20-turn Grand Prix configuration to meet F1's technical requirements, adding lengthened straights and a significant uphill section.
Cancellation before a single race
The Grand Prix layout was completed, but the race it was built for never took place. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, international motorsport bodies withdrew from the country, and the Russian Grand Prix contract with Igora Drive was terminated in March 2022, with all future races cancelled. Igora Drive therefore became the rare case of a circuit built and extended specifically for Formula 1 that never hosted a round of the championship.
A national circuit today
With the international Grand Prix plan abandoned, Igora Drive has continued as an active national motorsport venue. It has hosted the Russian Circuit Racing Series since 2020, alongside the Russian Endurance Challenge, SMP RSKG Endurance racing and, from 2025, SMP Formula 4. The circuit's Grand Prix-length layout, built to international F1 specification, remains in place and available for use even though the championship it was constructed for never raced there.
Frequently asked questions
Did Formula 1 ever race at Igora Drive?+
No. A contract to move the Russian Grand Prix from Sochi to Igora Drive from 2023 was signed in 2021, but it was terminated in March 2022 after international motorsport withdrew from Russia, and the race was never held.
How long is Igora Drive?+
The original circuit is 4.086 km (2.539 mi) with 15 turns; a Grand Prix configuration built for the planned F1 race extends this to 5.183 km (3.221 mi) with 20 turns.
What racing happens at Igora Drive now?+
The Russian Circuit Racing Series (since 2020), the Russian Endurance Challenge, SMP RSKG Endurance and, from 2025, SMP Formula 4 all hold rounds at the circuit.
Where is Igora Drive?+
Within the Igora resort near Novozhilovo, about 54 km north of Saint Petersburg, in Leningrad Oblast, Russia.
Who designed Igora Drive?+
Hermann Tilke, the architect behind numerous Formula 1 circuits, designed both the original 2019 layout and the later Grand Prix extension.
Other tracks nearby
- KymiRing · 206 km · road course
- Keimola Motor Stadium · 295 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Lange Motokeskus · 314 km · motocross
- Ahvenisto Race Circuit · 318 km · road course
- auto24ring · 400 km · road course
- Alastaro Circuit · 413 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.