Sochi , Russia ( CNN ) -- Who do you ask for help if you need to turn a muddy hole in the ground into a futuristic grand prix track ? `` He 's my sort of man , '' Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone says of Russian president Vladimir Putin 's influence in the project to stage the nation 's first grand prix this October in Sochi . `` He knows what he wants to do and he gets on and does it . I 've never had any fear that what he agreed to do would n't happen . I think ( Russia has ) done a first-class job for F1 and a super job for the Olympics , '' Ecclestone told CNN . It 's the kind of ringing endorsement that stands out like an oasis in a desert for a politician much derided for many of his policies by a large swathe of the international community . But then , the 83-year-old Ecclestone has a reputation for favoring those who he believes can deliver on their promises and thereby aid F1 's further expansion . The growth of motorsport 's elite division into one of the world 's most valuable sport franchises has been built on such relationships and Ecclestone 's shrewd 40-year management of them . The Sochi circuit is the culmination of talks that first started in the 1980s , when a plan to run a race through Red Square in Moscow was abandoned -- `` they did n't want to replace the cobblestones with paving , '' says Ecclestone -- and is a major statement of intent from Putin 's government to secure the city 's post-Games future . Talks became serious six years ago , when the Olympic project gained momentum . `` He 's been following the plans all of the way through , '' Ecclestone says of Putin 's involvement . New locations are always a risk for F1 's management . The promise of lucrative hosting deals and iconic locations often turn to dust before coming to reality , as plans for a race in New Jersey recently demonstrated . But the Sochi pitch filled Ecclestone with confidence , so much so that a six-year deal reportedly worth in excess of $ 250 million -- though Ecclestone would not confirm that figure -- was signed to secure the event until 2020 . `` I think Russia is an important nation full stop . F1 is a world championship , so it 's difficult to think of leaving Russia out of a world event like this , '' Ecclestone said . `` We looked at what they were building ... and tailored ourselves around what they had constructed for the events already . '' But the task of fitting an F1 circuit within the confines of an Olympic Park proved no easy task . `` Originally we had an idea to build the track through the main Fisht Stadium , '' Oleg Zabara , promoter of the Sochi Grand Prix , told CNN from his office in the paddock area of the newly-built pit lane compound . So organizers turned to track designer Hermann Tilke -- `` nothing is impossible for him , '' says Zabara -- with the German engineer offering another plan more suitable for the Olympic Park facilities . `` It was a big hole ! '' says Tilke , recalling his initial impressions of when he visited the Sochi site in 2010 . `` It looked like a desert of mud ... but I had a fantasy in my mind of how it would look later so I was n't too worried . '' The complexity of the new circuit design -- it needed to be cut through the middle of the Olympic Park and weaved in between the stadium and arenas -- provided Tilke with plenty of challenges . `` I 've had more meetings about Sochi than any other track , '' the architect says . `` We were a construction site within a construction site ... ( but ) in many ways it 's like a city track -- you can not move a house in a city , you have to work with the situation . `` The stadiums , arenas and pipes and cables under the earth had to be factored in . '' Turn four -- a long , sweeping circular corner which the cars will enter at 80 miles per hour and exit at 190 mph -- fills Tilke with particular pride , and he believes it will be `` the hardest in F1 , '' especially when the surface is slippery or when attempted on degraded tires . Despite his pride at a job well done , Tilke admits he 'll feel `` very nervous '' on the day of the race because the track until then remains a prototype . As with the Olympic constructions , it seems costs were not foremost in organizers ' minds in their ambition to construct a world-class facility . `` We 've spent about $ 330 million ( so far ) . But I 'm not worried about the cost only about the quality , '' Zabara says . `` I can say for sure that the cost of the track will be three to four times cheaper than the circuit in Abu-Dhabi . '' The promoter is hoping a race on Russian soil will attract many of the country 's F1 fans who already travel the world to watch the championship , as well as creating a new domestic supporter base willing to pay $ 200 a ticket to attend . `` About 60,000 fans are expected to come here and that will mean an extension of the resort season ( in the town ) too , '' says Zabara . `` It 's also suitable to use the track throughout the season -- we 've signed contracts with GP2 , GP3 , the Porsche Cup and hope to attract MotoGP , '' adds Zabara , a fan of motorcycling star Valentino Rossi . The plans for the Sochi GP certainly do n't lack for ambition and chime well with the wider Putin-driven plan of trying to rebrand Russia through the city . It 's maybe the reason Ecclestone expects the Russian president to attend the inaugural race in October and why he remains so enthusiastic about this month 's Winter Games . `` People love to criticize anything new do n't they ? But we 'll look back at Vancouver and say it did n't come close to what we 've just seen in Sochi , '' Ecclestone argues . Maybe the same will soon be said of the Sochi Grand Prix .
F1 chief Vladimir Putin backs Russian president Sochi 's way of working . Sochi hosts Russia 's inaugural grand prix in 2010 . Sochi GP promoter Hermann Tilke says about $ 330 million spent on circuit . Track site in 2010 ` ` was a big hole , '' says German track designer Hermann Tilke .