Russia in talks to extend F1 contract and make it night race

MOSCOW (AP) The Russian government says it is in talks to extend its contract to host Formula One's Russian Grand Prix beyond 2020 and wants to make it a night race.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said he wanted to follow the example of Singapore and attract more fans with a switch to the night format, according to state news agencies.

''At the current time, we are holding talks to extend the period of the contract, which ends in 2020, and also on moving, because these races are more popular, the race in Sochi from daytime to night-time,'' Kozak was quoted as saying.

The promoter for the Sochi race, Sergei Vorobyov, told the R-Sport news agency that the switch to a night race would ''most probably'' happen in 2017. A night race next year is ''unlikely,'' he was quoted as saying.

Formula One's first Russian Grand Prix was held in October 2014 at a track looping around some of the venues from last year's Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The Russian GP is next up in the schedule, on Oct. 11.

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This story has been corrected to show that Kozak's first name is Dmitry, not Vladimir.