F1 poised to hold first Russian GP
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone will travel to St Petersburg next weekend to try to thrash out the deal.
He will meet the governor of St Petersburg to discuss the building of a new circuit on the outskirts of the city. Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is thought to be in favor of the proposals, may also attend the meeting. It is hoped that the race, which will be on a purpose-built track, not a street circuit, will be part of the calendar for 2010.
"Nothing is done yet," Ecclestone said yesterday, "but this could be an interesting development for the sport.
"We'd like to get it in the calendar as soon as we can but that depends on them.
It's down to how long it takes them to get the circuit ready." The move follows previous plans to stage an F1 race in Moscow which eventually came to nothing.
It also fits in with Formula One's general shift towards the east and exploring new markets, where tobacco advertising is not banned. In recent years, new races have been established in Malaysia, Bahrain and China. And this year F1 will stage its first ever night race in Singapore at the end of September. Daily Mirror