Preparations for the first Grand Prix in Russia "are on track," President Vladimir Putin told F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone Saturday "on the sidelines of the Winter Paralympics," according to the AFP. The Oct. 10-12 race meet "will take place at the Sochi Olympic Park." Putin told Ecclestone that the race "would be a good use of the specially-built Olympic venue." Putin: "It allows us to use the infrastructure more effectively once these big competitions come to an end." Putin acknowledged that "there remained work to be done ahead of the race." But, he said, difficulties "had been of a practical, rather than a conceptual nature." Putin "did not give details of the problems," but reports have suggested that "a large number of stray dogs is a worry for organisers, while some of the facilities remain unfinished" (AFP, 3/9). R-SPORT reported Sochi organizers are planning to move the date of the Grand Prix to May for the '15 season "in an apparent attempt to tie the race into the high season for beach tourism in the city" (R-SPORT, 3/8).
