Three tracks now on list to replace Russia GP
Mar.1 - One circuit has emerged as the favourite to replace Russia's 'suspended' round of the 2022 world championship in September.
Amid the covid crisis in 2020 and again last year, Portugal's Portimao circuit filled in for race hosts more affected by the pandemic.
And with Sochi's 2022 race now looking in doubt over the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Portimao is once again in pole position to play the substitute role.
"We are in talks with Formula 1 about holding a replacement race," the Portuguese circuit's boss Paulo Pinheiro told Portuguese daily Correio da Manha.
"However, a lot depends on solving logistical issues."
Qatar and Istanbul have been named as other potential candidates, while the German broadcaster RTL claims Hockenheim "has not received a request" from Formula 1.
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Algarve is an unviable option for logistics as teams use trucks for European circuits while Singapore GP is a freight event.
Qatar is unfitting, not only because that would cause unnecessary extra back-&-forth travel to the Middle East, but equally because that region is still unbearably hot at that time of year.
Realistically, Istanbul Park is the only viable option & thus in pole position to replace Sochi Autodrom.
Istanbul Park was, after all, the first choice as Canadian GP replacement last season until Turkey got added to UK's Red List & later the first choice for Singapore GP cancellation, so thinking otherwise is unrealistic.
What I didn't mention earlier is Qatar hosts World Cup this year, which is specifically why this year's campaign doesn't feature Qatar GP in the first place, so another reason against viability.
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