LONDON – Virgin Racing will compete with a Russian licence this season as part of their partnership with sportscar maker Marussia Motors, the Formula One team said on Monday. Team president Graeme Lowdon told Reuters at the launch of the new MVR-02 car that Virgin had obtained the agreement of Britain’s governing body, the Motor Sports Association (MSA), to make the switch.
“There’s actually quite close links between the MSA and the Russian federation and there’s a lot of training going on and things like that,” he explained. “It’s really quite an important thing for our investors. “I don’t think they will be dusting down the national anthem just yet,” he added with a smile. British-based Virgin, whose principal John Booth is a proud Yorkshireman, were one of three new teams who made their debut last year without scoring a point.
They will be the second Russian team to have raced in F1 after Midland, who later became Spyker and are now Force India, competed in 2006. “It is a little bit more cosmopolitan now,” Lowdon said of the sport. “It’s not quite what racing under a different licence would have been years and years ago. But for the whole team it would be a proud moment if we could see the (Russian) flag flying.”
