Russia goes racing

With just three weeks to go before the action kicks off in Bahrain, everyone at MF1 Racing is hard at work, readying the M16 for its debut race. The first weekend of the season will also see the team make history, as it becomes the first to enter a Grand Prix with a Russian entrant’s licence.

The honour of representing a country brand new to F1 is not taken lightly, and it’s a key part of the team’s future plans.

“I’m not Russian, but my family was born in Russia,” explains Managing Director Colin Kolles. “And obviously, Alex (Shnaider, MF1 Racing’s owner) has very close ties to that part of the world. The Russian Automobile Federation has been very supportive of our efforts to go racing with a Russian licence, which helps promote motorsport in their country. It’s something very positive for the sport of F1 and we hope it will be positive for our team, as well.

“We think it will be a good platform to raise awareness of the sport in Russia and attract Russian partners, or to help bring Western business ventures into Russia. We see it as a win-win proposition.”

Also benefiting from this East-West association will be a new generation of promising Russian drivers.

“We will also be launching a young driver programme in Russia to bring young drivers up through the karting ranks and so on, so we’ll be building up the sport at the local level, as well.”

But hotshoes are not the only ones being targeted in Midland’s quest to bring Russia’s best and brightest talent to the team.

“Russia is renowned for its advanced scientific community, so we’ll also try to integrate young Russian engineers into our staff. Who we hire won’t be my decision; it will be (Technical Director) James Key’s. At the moment, we’re still busy with other things, preparing for the upcoming season, so it will take some time before we can focus our attention on this. But even now, we’re beginning to get some applications from Russia. They have a successful aerospace industry, and a lot of engineers could easily adapt their skills to F1. So there is huge potential for us in this area.”

Kolles says he is happy with the steps that the team has made over the winter, although he acknowledges that there is still a long way to go.

“Our plan is to work at full power, look forward, and give the maximum. That’s our plan. We will see how quickly we can achieve our goals, and without over-promising, it’s safe to say that our goals are definitely not to be ninth in the championship again.

“I hope people will realise how serious we are about succeeding in this sport. It was tough for us initially, with people not believing in us, or trying to spread rumours which were the opposite of reality, but that’s life. Now, it’s time to move forward, step by step. We said we would have a brand-new car for this season, and we do – that’s the first step. Next, we have to keep working hard, doing things our way. As for the rest, time will tell.”

Of course, this year MF1 is in the unusual position of being the only team able to make a direct comparison with another, because Toyota shares the same V8 engine and Bridgestone tyres.

“It’s an interesting comparison,” admits Kolles. “But I’m not concerned about it, not at all. We have our own way, and we make the most of what we have. It’s not our main priority to reach the level of other teams’ resources. We don’t sit around thinking, ‘Toyota has this,’ or ‘Ferrari has that.’ Our main target is to improve constantly. We have to make progress on the track every day, and we have to work hard to raise more sponsorship, which we are doing. James (Key), of course, is working hard to get more resources for development, and that pushes me to secure more funds for the team!

“But it’s really not a matter of having thousands of people; it’s a matter of working efficiently. We have a new car – a nice looking car – but the work has just begun. We haven’t achieved anything yet. I’ll be happy when we get the results.”