Sirius Autodrom (Sochi Autodrom / Автодром Сириус)

Sirius Autodrom (Sochi Autodrom / Автодром Сириус) at a glance

Location

Sirius (adjacent to Sochi), Krasnodar Krai

Type

road course

Length

2.313 km (1.437 mi)

Turns

11

Direction

counter-clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

2014

Owner

Rosgonki

Capacity

55,000

Address

Sochi Olympic Park, Sirius settlement

Website

siriusautodrom.ru

Track map and layout

The current permanent circuit is a shortened 2.313 km (1.437 mi), 11-turn layout carved out of the much longer 5.848 km, 18-turn Grand Prix circuit that hosted Formula 1 between 2014 and 2021. Built through the flat grounds of the Sochi Olympic Park next to the Black Sea, the full GP layout wound counter-clockwise around Olympic venues including the Bolshoy Ice Dome and the Medals Plaza, with a long, sweeping Turn 3 that was among the longest corners on the F1 calendar. The larger Grand Prix loop was dismantled after the international championships withdrew, leaving the shorter permanent layout as the venue's current configuration for domestic racing.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Sochi hosted the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix every year from 2014 to 2021. Formula 1, along with other international series such as WTCR and DTM, withdrew from Russia in 2022 following the withdrawal of international motorsport sanctioning from the country, and the Russian Grand Prix contract was terminated. The venue's Grand Prix-length layout was subsequently dismantled, and the circuit now runs its shorter permanent layout for national racing, principally the SMP-organised Russian Circuit Racing Series (RCRS) and SMP Formula 4.

Getting there and parking

The circuit sits within the Sochi Olympic Park in Sirius, on the Black Sea coast a short drive from central Sochi. Sochi International Airport is the nearest gateway, and Sochi's main railway station, on the coastal line connecting the city to the rest of the Krasnodar Krai region, is within reach of the Olympic Park by local transport.

• Sochi International Airport (AER) · about 30 min drive

Hotels and camping near Sirius Autodrom (Sochi Autodrom / Автодром Сириус)

Visitors typically base themselves in Sochi or the Adler/Olympic Park area, both of which have a wide range of hotels built up around the resort city's tourism industry and the 2014 Winter Olympics. Hotel options range from large resort properties to smaller guesthouses; the Olympic Park area itself has hotel capacity built for Games visitors.

Where to look

Adler/Olympic Park (closest to the circuit) and central Sochi (wider hotel choice, short drive away).

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

The circuit is not known to run a dedicated public track-day programme; use of the permanent layout is centred on the national racing calendar (RCRS, SMP F4) rather than public driving experiences.

Lap records

Spectator guide

During its Formula 1 years the venue had grandstand seating for around 55,000 across the Olympic Park site; current national-series race weekends draw considerably smaller crowds and use only part of that former GP-era capacity.

Weather

• Jun-Aug (summer): hot and humid, highs around 28-30°C
• Dec-Feb (winter): mild for Russia given the Black Sea coast, highs around 8-12°C

History of Sirius Autodrom (Sochi Autodrom / Автодром Сириус)

Built for the Olympics, designed for Formula 1

The circuit was built through the Sochi Olympic Park, the site that had hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games only months earlier, and was designed by Hermann Tilke. It opened in September 2014 as Sochi Autodrom, with its 5.848 km, 18-turn Grand Prix layout winding counter-clockwise around Olympic venues including the Bolshoy Ice Dome and the Medals Plaza. The Russian Grand Prix debuted that October as round 16 of the 2014 Formula 1 season, becoming the first world championship motor race held in Russia.

Eight seasons of the Russian Grand Prix

Sochi hosted the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix every year from 2014 through 2021, alongside periods of support from other international categories over the years. The long, sweeping Turn 3 became the circuit's best-known feature, drawing comparisons to similarly shaped corners at other Tilke-designed venues. Lewis Hamilton set the outright F1 race lap record at the Grand Prix layout, 1:35.761, during the 2019 race.

Withdrawal of international racing and the shift to national events

Following the withdrawal of international motorsport governing bodies from Russia in 2022, the Russian Grand Prix contract was terminated and Formula 1, along with series such as WTCR and DTM, ceased racing in the country. Sochi's Grand Prix-length configuration was subsequently dismantled, with the circuit's shorter permanent layout becoming its primary configuration from December 2023. In April 2024 the venue was renamed Sirius Autodrom, after the Sirius settlement built adjacent to the Olympic Park. Today the circuit hosts Russia's national racing calendar, principally the SMP-organised Russian Circuit Racing Series and SMP Formula 4, continuing as an active motorsport venue for domestic competition even though its international Grand Prix chapter has closed.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Rustavi International Motorpark · 457 km · road course
• Fort Grozny Autodrom (Автодром Форт Грозный) · 460 km · road course