The walls of the Kremlin echoed to the blast of high-revving V8 engines last weekend as Lewis Hamilton and his Vodafone McLaren Mercedes race car starred at the fifth annual Moscow City Racing event.

Excitement is building with the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi now just two years away, and Lewis thrilled the crowd with a series of tyre-smoking ‘donuts’ in his MP4-26. The temporary street course ran past the Kremlin and along the banks of the Moskva River, with the unmistakeable domes of St Basil’s Cathedral providing a stunningly iconic backdrop to the increasingly popular event, which this year expanded to run across two days.

Motorbikes and rally cars entertained the citizens of Moscow on the Saturday, while Formula 1 took centre stage on Sunday followed by a closing concert in nearby Red Square. Lewis was visiting the city for the first time, Jenson Button having represented Vodafone McLaren Mercedes here for the past two years.

“I’d seen pictures of Moscow before coming here and it looked spectacular,” said Lewis. “But the real thing is more spectacular still. I really enjoyed my weekend and I’m looking forward to racing in Russia in 2014.”