GL events’ team of seating and stadia professionals was appointed to deliver temporary tiered seating grandstands for more than 30,000 spectators at the inaugural Russian Formula One Grand Prix, which debuted at the Sochi Autodrom in 2014.

Further developing the new site that had been custom-built for the 2014 Winter Olympics, a 5.9km circuit was installed within Sochi’s Winter Olympic Park and, in preparation for the first Russian Grand Prix in more than a century, GL events was tasked with installing quality temporary seating grandstands that would enhance this iconic facility.

GL events has a well-established reputation as a reliable and agile supplier to Olympic events and, having supplied 170,000sqm of temporary sports buildings and 130,000 tiered seating to the London Olympics in 2012, was ideally equipped and experienced to sell, but also to deliver and erect the 30,000 Olympic-standard seats – which would be installed and dismantled as required for the Sochi Grand Prix and for future events at the Autodrom.

GL events delivered 120 shipping containers of scaffolding and tiered grandstand seating to St Petersburg, reducing costs and supporting the local economy by sourcing secondary and consumable items such as timber and fencing from around Sochi. Its team of ten key site and project managers was supported by local labourers throughout a tight event build schedule of just four weeks.

For the Russian Grand Prix, GL events created five raised grandstands, positioned to offer the best possible sightlines of the action at key turns within the circuit. GL events’ premium, Olympic-standard product exceeds all relevant policies as well as offering a wider, 500mm seat, in line with European legislation. Three of GL events’ grandstands were additionally equipped with disabled-access viewing platforms.