Rossiyskaya Gazeta – Nedelya (Moscow): Vladimir Putin as a Formula One driver
Vladimir Putin as a Formula One driver
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin driving at a speed of 240 km per hour
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took the wheel again. This time, it was a Formula One racecar rather than the Lada Kalina sport car he bought not so long ago, but the color was the same – yellow.
On November 7, Putin came to attend the presentation of racecars in St Petersburg's Ostrovsky Square. As before, he couldn't resist the temptation of test-driving. After all, he has never been a racer. Before driving, Putin listened to detailed instructions. Technicians and experts explained to him how the car is designed and how to drive it.
Putin put on a race suit with his own initials and a helmet with the emblem of the Russian Federation and the inscription: "Russia." Having taken the driving seat, he said: "My old Zaporozhets had more space," referring to a Soviet car not known for passenger comfort.
For several hours, Putin was performing laps, and at one point his car spun out to a halt. He returned the car to the right position and continued his test drive.
After it was over, experts told Putin that the computer registered the highest speed at 240 km per hour.
"Not bad for the first time," he commented.
In October, Putin attended a ceremony at which he signed an agreement with Formula One stating that Russia will stage a Grand Prix in its Black Sea resort of Sochi. Putin told RG that "Sochi is a very convenient place because part of the road infrastructure will be built during the construction of Olympic facilities. In this context, it will be a much less expensive project than the construction of racetracks from scratch. It makes sense to fully use the Olympic infrastructure in Sochi so as not to waste any money."
Pierre Sidibe
