F1 wows Moscow with street demo
As Russia continues to prepare to join the F1 calendar in 2014, three teams have wowed crowds in the capital city following the annual Bavaria City Racing Moscow event.
McLaren's Jenson Button, Ferrari's Giancarlo Fisichella and Team Lotus drivers Karun Chandhok and Luiz Razia were all in action around a 4.5km circuit created around the Kremlin and Red Square.
In front of a crowd of more than 100,000, Button completed a series of runs at the wheel of an MP4-23 in what was his second appearance on the Moscow streets.
"I'm very glad that thanks to Mobil 1, the technology partner of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, I have been invited back to Russia and had the chance to race a new track in the very centre of Moscow," he said. "It was a great day and a lot of fun being involved in the Moscow City Racing event. It was really nice to see such number of show-goers and to meet my fans and fans of Formula 1 racing."
Fisichella meanwhile, on his return to an F1 machine, said he too had enjoyed the experience despite wet weather conditions making the Moscow roads more challenging than expected.
"It is a great circuit with the Kremlin and the Red Square in the background," he said. "The rainy circumstances demanded everything from the drivers and turned the demonstration into a stunning show. The crowd went wild and that's what it's all about."
Chandhok and Razia completed two stints around the circuit, with Chandhok insisting that the large turn-out had shown the levels of support for F1 on Russian soil.
"Russia has a grand prix coming up and there seems to be a lot of excitement among the public here, which is great - unless you can get a crowd, there's no point in having a race," he said. "But there seems to be a lot of interest for Formula 1 in this country. It's been an eye-opener for me, it's a beautiful city with amazing architecture. To drive down the long straight alongside the wall of the Kremlin was pretty mega."
To view a video of Razia in action for Lotus,
