Formula One in Moscow July 19, Grand Prix in Russia 2010?

This Sunday ... foreigners will be leading the race, as Formula One comes to Moscow with the likes of former Monaco Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, who will join other drivers in taking a spin around the Kremlin.

He will be accompanied by Formula One drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Heikki Kovalainen from the AT&T Williams and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes teams in the second Bavaria City Racing event in Moscow.

...More than a hundred cars will take turns zooming around, including a Russian-made Formula One style car, Adrenaline, built by Moscow students.

...“I do not believe that Formula One as a business has a future in Moscow, which is why this is such a great opportunity for us as Formula One fans,” said Svetlana Amelichkina, head of the Russian fan club.

Even though the average speed in Formula One is around 350 kilometers per hour, when asked how fast racing cars will be going on July 19, Oleg Stolyarchik from sponsor Bavaria responded by saying the official speed limit in Moscow is 60 kilometers per hour.

  McLaren have confirmed that the team will be heading to Russia later this month to take part in the Moscow City Racing event. The annual motorsport festival, which is expected to attract thousands of Muscovites, will be held on July 19.

Heikki Kovalainen will be in action in the British team’s championship-winning MP4-23 for the spectacle, which will take place on a 4.5-kilometre street circuit right in the heart of the Russian city, with St Basil’s Cathedral, Red Square and the Kremlin all providing stunning backdrops.

“I’m really looking forward to the demonstration in Russia,” said Kovalainen. “Moscow is one of the world’s most magnificent cities and this opportunity to showcase Formula One machinery to so many people, and in such an amazing place, is an incredible opportunity. For everybody who attends, this should be an absolutely amazing demonstration of the worldwide appeal of Formula One.”

Williams confirmed on Wednesday that the team will be heading to Russia next month to take part in the Moscow City Racing event. Over a million Muscovites are expected to attend the July demonstration, which has been devised to showcase Formula One racing to a new audience.

Nico Rosberg will be in action in the team’s FW30 for the spectacle, which will take place on a street circuit right in the heart of the Russian city, with the historic Kremlin and the embankment of the Moskva river providing stunning backdrops.

...“I have never been to Russia and I have always wanted to visit Moscow, so the whole trip will undoubtedly be really fascinating. There is clearly a massive appetite for Formula One in Russia, and it is great to be contributing to spreading the sport’s popularity.”

Russia’s first-ever world-class motor racing circuit is to be built outside Moscow, and it should be ready to host a Grand Prix by 2010.

...Construction of a Grand Prix circuit in Russia has been discussed for some time, with various areas outside Moscow and St Petersburg vying with each other as a site for the proposed racetrack.

The multifunctional racetrack, to be completed in 2010, will be 77 kilometres outside Moscow at the Novorizhskoye Highway. The new sport facility will be entirely private-financed. The track is being designed by Formula One’s chief architect Hermann Tilke.