Putin the F1 driver

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has boosted his action-man image by racing around a track in a Formula One car.

Putin reached speeds of almost 150 miles-per-hour at a course in St Petersburg.

The leader signed a deal last month with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to bring racing to Russia starting in 2014.

After receiving instructions on Sunday from a Formula One team, Putin climbed into the bright yellow race car wearing a matching jumpsuit and then drove off by himself along an empty road. He spun out at one point, but regained control.

Under the Formula One deal, Russia will hold grand prix races near the Black Sea resort of Sochi, which also is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It is not the first time Putin has been seen on screen flexing his adrenalin-muscle.

His startling flight into Chechnya in 2000 in a fighter jet, and flipping opponents on the judo mat have done nothing but helped boost his reputation.

This summer he showed his prowess by firing darts from a crossbow at a gray whale while being tossed around in choppy seas.

He also took the controls of a firefighting plane to dump water on one of the wildfires sweeping through villages south of Moscow.