OREANDA-NEWS The former head of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, spoke about the unrealized plan for the USSR Grand Prix. His words are quoted by F1Destinations.

"I was aiming for Formula 1 cars to drive through Red Square. We tried our best to organize a stage in the USSR, but nothing worked out. We had to postpone our plans when Leonid Brezhnev died. As a result, we were unable to continue negotiations with his successors," he said.

Ecclestone added that he had always considered Formula 1 as a world championship and wanted the USSR or Russia to become part of the tournament. "But we eventually had to abandon this idea," he concluded.

Briton Ecclestone led Formula 1 for 40 years and left his post in January 2017. During his time in the championship, the Russian Grand Prix was established, which has been held in the Sochi Olympic Park since 2014.

In 2023, Ecclestone was accused of fraud. During the hearing at Southwark Crown Court in London, he admitted that he had failed to declare assets worth 472 million euros held in the accounts of a trust fund in Singapore. As a result, he was sentenced to 17 months in prison on probation.