2015 Russian Grand Prix will not be a night F1 race

Russian Grand Prix officials have confirmed that their event will not be a night race in 2015, despite hopes it could switch to a twilight fixture

Jonathan Noble Jan 16, 2015, 4:25 PM

AUTOSPORT revealed last year that Sochi's bosses were in advanced discussions about running the race under floodlights, with it being possible for this October's GP.

However, in a statement issued on Friday, the race promoters said that rather than running at night, they had agreed an earlier slot with Formula One Management.

Sochi organiser Sergey Vorobyev said, "This year the grand prix will start at 2:00 p.m.

"We will have an opportunity to watch the fascinating Formula 1 race one day and one hour earlier than we did last year."

Speaking at last year's event, circuit consultant Richard Cregan said that everything was ready for the Sochi race to run in the dark if required.

"The infrastructure is there to supply the power for the lighting system, and that has already been checked.

"It is only a matter of decisions being made."