A circuit close to St Petersburg is "capable" of hosting Formula 1.
That is the view of the track’s architect, Hermann Tilke, referring to the new Igora Drive circuit that will host a round of the DTM series next year.
Igora is located two hours from St Petersburg, linking it with recent rumours that the Russian GP could be relocated from its current venue at Sochi.
"Concerning Formula 1, we did not conduct any negotiations," track boss Vladimir Vasiliev said last week.
However, renowned F1 circuit designer Tilke says Igora "is certainly capable of hosting Formula 1".
"I can’t say anything concrete, because a lot of politics is woven into it," he told the Russian news agency Tass. "A lot of different interests collide.
"But Igora Drive is an amazing project. It is one of our best tracks," Tilke added.
The German acknowledged that the scenery at Sochi, where the current Russian GP was also designed by Tilke, is more spectacular than Igora Drive.
"There are no mountains as high as in Sochi. But it is close to St Petersburg - all the beauty is there," Tilke said.
"The uniqueness of the track in St Petersburg is the configuration, with fast corners and elevation changes and the possibility for a lot of overtaking."