Eric Silbermann's Russian Grumpy Preview

Our resident grumpy old git goes all political on us, so can we just say these are his own views and don’t necessarily reflect ours, or at least not until we’re safely back home...

“You see, not all Russians are angry all the time.” These were pretty much the first words of conversation I’d had with a citizen of the Russian Confederation after landing in Sochi last year. They came from a woman who spoke perfect English and helped me order a drink at the bar of my hotel, as I couldn’t make myself understood. From then on, things went downhill, because it seemed she was the exception that proved her own rule.

When I was an eight year old kid, my parents took me on holiday to an English Holiday Camp By The Sea…in February. And that’s what being in Sochi feels like; all a bit skanky and rundown. As a wise colleague pointed out, if the GP had been held in Moscow or St Petersburg we would probably have thought it was wonderful. But it’s not, it’s held in what is effectively a disused sports complex. No criticism of Russia is implicit in that, as it wouldn't be the first nation to let its Olympic site fall into disrepair. Much as we might smirk at the trendy Olympian notions of heritage and legacy bandied around after the Games have gone, maybe the most expensive Olympic Games ever staged should have thought about what to do with its facility, once the event was over.

If grumpiness was radioactive, talk to me about this race and my personal Geiger counter would register levels seldom seen since they ran one across that poor old Russian lad, Litvinenko in the London hospital that treated him when he died of a bad cup of tea.  If we assume that the excuse given for going to many of the other less salubrious venues we have visited is that it helps promote the sport of F1 across the globe, attracts new sponsors and allows existing ones to reach new markets, then that whole argument goes out the window in Russia. Some F1 sponsors are, at best, dubious about having their logos on display here. Clearly, the only reason we are in Sochi is so that CVC can fill their coffers with all the money the Russian government can throw at it. Plus our hosts think it shows off their country in a good light, or at least maybe a better light than is currently reflected off the world’s political arena.

Usually, I write my grumpy previews and it’s all slightly tongue in cheek, but on this occasion I’m saddened that it’s pretty much true. The default attitude of the majority of the locals suggests they all suffer from some strange form of Tourettes Syndrome, because even if they’re trying to be nice to you it ends up sounding like “F**k off nice to see you!”

Should we even be here at all? That’s been the question since last year, one which the USA, the EU, Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Albania, Iceland, Montenegro and Switzerland all think should be answered in the negative, hence their sanctions. The situation this time is not as black and white – no pun intended – as the one that meant all sporting contests with South African teams was boycotted in the days of apartheid. The world’s a much murkier place these days and those imposing sanctions are not exactly whiter than white in all areas. Inevitably, sanctions hurt those imposing them as much as those they are imposed on in terms of trade. And here on the ground, that translates into not really being spoilt for choice when it comes to finding anything to eat and what is on offer is not always palatable, as you can see from what I can only assume is a traditional dish of mouldy black potato, on offer at my hotel. To avoid that hurt, I’ve got a good stock of pot noodles, dried fruit and other comestibles in my luggage.

But this year, maybe it will all be different: the organisers will have listened to criticism, they’ll have laid on good food and told the restaurant staff to break the habits of a lifetime and smile and make eye contact. The underwhelming track will produce a better race now Pirelli is bringing in their softest tyres and we’ll all go home happy. Otherwise, the best things about Sochi will be the same as last year, namely the fact that the walk from hotel room to media centre takes around 15 minutes and I’m out of here at 4am Monday. And if you miss the pre-race air display don’t worry, I believe that with a good pair of binoculars you can see the Russian fighter aces perform their aerobatics over the south coast of England most weeks of the year.

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