Marussia sure Russia will embrace F1

Marussia CEO Andy Webb says he thinks Russian will embrace F1 next year on the back of successful Sochi display

01 Oct 2013

20.09.2013- Free Practice 2: Jules Bianchi (FRA) Marussia F1 Team MR02
© PHOTO 4

Marussia CEO Andy Webb says he is confident that Russia will embrace F1 when Sochi joins the calendar for the 2014 season.

The first race on Russian soil is due to take place next year having appeared on the schedule released by the FIA last week, with Marussia being one of the teams to take part in a demonstration event in Sochi on Friday.

Reserve driver Rodolfo Gonzalez was present to show crowds what to expect from F1 in Russia and Webb said it was clear that excitement was building ahead of the race.

"Every time we return to Russia we are thrilled to see just how much the fans here are embracing Formula 1 ahead of next year's inaugural Grand Prix of Russia," he said. "The level of knowledge and interest is fantastic and this makes us especially proud to be the only Russian-owned team participating in the sport.

"We've visited Sochi and Moscow on several occasions now and this is our way of showing that Russia is truly at the heart of our team culture. We don't just want to carry the name, we want to fly the flag - at home here in Sochi and at around 20 other international Formula 1 destinations that we travel to every season.

"From what we have seen here this weekend, Sochi will be staging an event it can truly be proud of and we look forward to playing our part in that, and hopefully achieving success on the race track."

Following the Sochi event, Marussia's focus will now turn back to the remainder of the 2013 season, starting this weekend in Korea.

The team heads into the weekend seeking to keep its position ahead of Caterham in the championship standings, with team boss John Booth insisting that that the aim for the weekend was clear.

"At the risk of sounding repetitive, our task in these remaining races really couldn't be clearer," he said. "We need to do everything possible to maintain our position, whilst capitalising on tracks where we can be more competitive versus our nearest challengers. Singapore was one such race and there should be a few others in the six remaining."