Zoom Ecclestone a long-time fan of a Russian event

The prospect of a Grand Prix in Russia in the near future has increased, as news emerges that plans are being put in place for a major Formula One car demonstration later this year on the streets of Moscow.

The Russian news agency Interfax reports that the demonstration is slated to take place on the weekend between the British and German Grand Prix in July, around the famous Red Square and in the shadow of the Kremlin.

The Russian capital's deputy mayor Waleri Winogradow, meanwhile, is quoted as fully supporting the project in the pages of the state newspaper Rossijskaja Gaseta, but as yet it is not known which teams will field a car for the prospective event.

It was reported earlier this year that Hans Geist, the former manager of F1 tracks in Austria and Bahrain, was appointed to oversee the construction of a Hermann Tilke-designed Grand Prix-standard venue in Volokalamsk, near Moscow.

Last year, F1 Chief Executive Bernie Ecclestone said of his efforts to organise a race in Russia: "It won't take forever, because I won't be around for ever and I want to see it!"

In early 2007, a similar demonstration took place in Abu Dhabi, and Ecclestone used the occasion to announce that the emirate had secured a contract to host a Grand Prix from 2009.

Source: GMM
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