Russian President may attend Midland launch

Vladimir Putin may attend the launch of the Midland F1 team in Moscow next month. Alex Shnaider’s company finally bought out Jordan on Monday – and the Russian-born entrepreneur seems determined to stamp his identity on the team straight away. The company plan to hold the ceremony in Red Square. And a team spokeswoman confirmed that Putin would be on the guest list. She said: "He (Putin) will be invited, naturally, but whether he can attend is another matter." Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who tried to bring a grand prix to the Russian capital, is also likely to be invited. However, the team will continue to race under the name Jordan this season, before switching to Midland F1 in 2006. ITV-F1.com