Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tested his capacities as a Formula 1 pilot, driving a racing car for several hours at a speed of 240 km/ h (149 miles per hour) on a special track in the Leningrad Region in Russia's northwest.

Three racing cars - two vehicles for racing in the Formula's youth completions and one intended for the Formula 1 Grand Prix, were put on show in St. Petersburg on November 6 and 7. As part of the presentation of the racing cars, Putin personally drove a racing car on a special track in the Leningrad Region. Before getting into the car's cockpit, the premier received detailed instructions on how to drive the racing car.

The premier put on a helmet with Russia's national emblem and the word Russia inscribed on it, and also a Formula 1 outfit with his initials. The yellow color of the racing car was reminiscent of the Lada Kalina sport car that Putin had used to drive along the Chita-Khabarovsk Highway in the Russian Far East earlier this year.

A month ago, Putin attended a ceremony of signing an agreement with Formula One in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, under which Russia will stage a Grand Prix in the country between 2014 and 2020.