“Sochi would be top of the list of races to skip”

One of the quirks of the Russian Grand Prix is the location of the hotels within walking distance of the pitlane. Each morning, walking along the side of the back straight there was something oddly comforting hearing circuit announcer Bob Constanduros run through the grid for the Formula 3 support races.

Despite being 2000 miles away from home in a region where very little English is spoken, hearing Constanduros made it feel more like Silverstone than a Russian town on the Black Sea.

One evening I happened to dine with Constanduros, the man who has been commentating on Formula 1 since the mid1980s and who is well-known for booming “Chaaammmpaggggnnnnneeeeeee !!!!!!! ” during the podium celebrations.

Despite having clocked up more than 500 GPS and travelling for over 30 years, the circuit commentator shows no sign of slowing down as next year’s F1 calendar nudges up to 22 races.

Fellow diners suggested that the punishing – and expensive – schedule would lead to more accredited journalists skipping races and most agreed that Sochi would be top of their list, given the hassle of acquiring visas and the difficulty in getting to the venue.

There was talk that next year’s Russian GP could be the last in Sochi anyway. President Vladimir Putin, who resides in St Petersburg, is said to be interested in building a new circuit on the outskirts of his home city, which would chime with the desire of F1’s new owners to have races in “destination cities”.

To no-one’s surprise, former boss – and friend of Putin – Bernie Ecclestone was in attendance at last weekend’s race. One Brazilian journalist approached Bernie and remarked how nice it was to see him, to which Bernie snapped back, “Is it?”

Always quick with the one liners, a few years ago Ecclestone came into the media centre to enquire whether everyone was enjoying Russia. A German reporter suggested the food could be a bit better, to which Bernie remarked: “Next year, bring your own sandwiches…”

During his years promoting F1, Bernie always found Russia a difficult market to break into, but now – six years in – the race has established itself. As ever, the locals want a home driver to cheer on and, after appearances by Vitaly Petrov, Sergey Sirotkin and Daniil Kvyat in F1, it looks as though the best driver to emerge from Russia is on the verge of the big time.

Robert Shwartzman won the Formula 3 championship last Saturday and is a key member of the Ferrari young driver programme. Don’t be surprised to see Shwartzman in F1 within a couple of years. His future success could ensure Russia – wherever we race – is on the calendar for many years to come.

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