A study is under way in Finland to evaluate the feasibility of hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the country, ostensibly at future MotoGP circuit KymiRing.
A press conference was held on Wednesday to outline that 80 per cent of KymiRing, located around 130km North East of the capital Helsinki, has now been built.
The circuit has a contract to host the Finnish Motorcycle Grand Prix from 2020 through 2024, having initially delayed from 2019, and a MotoGP test is pencilled for August this year.
The 4.6-kilometre circuit will feature 18 turns while there are proposals for other facilities to be built in the area around the venue.
The venue is set to meet the FIA’s Grade 1 standard – meaning it can host Formula 1 events – but upon initial construction it was outlined that Formula 1 would be too expensive to host.
But AKK-Motorsport, the national body of motorsport in Finland, has launched a study to assess whether a future Formula 1 Grand Prix could be possible.
Finland has never hosted a Grand Prix despite fielding three World Champions in the form of Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.
Only four nations – United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil and France – can boast more Grand Prix wins than the 50 amassed by Finnish drivers courtesy of the aforementioned trio, Valtteri Bottas and Heikki Kovalainen.
Bottas and Raikkonen are still active on the 2019 grid and will line up with Mercedes and Sauber respectively.
Formula 1 has not visited Scandinavia since the last of six World Championship Swedish Grands Prix was held in 1978 at Anderstorp.
