IndyCar race in Russia

It will be a cold day in hell before Bernie lets IndyCar race on the same track as F1. Very cold.

SMP Racing's Boris Rotenberg has not ruled out the idea of hosting an IndyCar race at the Sochi Autodrom – and has said he will pitch the possibility to the series organizers according to Motorsport.com.

IndyCar's current schedules consists entirely of tracks within the United States and Canada, with the most recent race held outside of the two countries having taken place in 2013 at the Sao Paulo street circuit – and featuring a famous last-corner overtake by James Hinchcliffe on Takuma Sato for the win.

The series had plans to run in both Dubai and at Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in Brasilia in 2015, but both projects were eventually shelved.

However, the return of SMP-backed Russian driver Mikhail Aleshin to IndyCar could help build support for the idea of introducing a new international IndyCar race – in Sochi.

"Of course, we'd like the many Russian fans of motorsport to see these races live, and not just on TV," said SMP's Rotenberg. "IndyCar is the most spectacular open-wheel series, you never get a similar level of intensity in Formula 1.

"It would be great to hold a race in Sochi. We'll talk to the organizers, maybe one day we can have a Russian IndyCar race."