FIA says Mazepin can compete under a neutral flag
The governing body of motorsport in the UK has announced that is suspending the recognition of racing licences issued by the Russian Automobile Federation and Belarus Automobile Federation in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukrainem, raising question over whether Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin will be allowed to race at the British Grand Prix in July.
The move by Motorsport UK means that drivers and officials with licences from Russia or Belarus, which has been used as a staging ground for the Russian incursion, are not approved to participate in UK motorsport events.
The organisation also banned Russian and Belarusian licenced teams from entering motorsport competitions in the UK, as well as Russian and Belarusian national symbols, colours, flags (on uniform, equipment and car) from being displayed at Motorsport UK permitted events.
David Richards, Motorsport UK’s chairman said: “The entire Motorsport UK community condemns the acts of war by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity and support towards all those affected by the ongoing conflict.
“We stand united with the people of Ukraine and the motorsport community following the invasion and the unacceptable actions that have unfolded.
“This is a time for the international motorsport community to act and show support for the people of Ukraine and our colleagues at the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU).”
Motorsport UK said the decision was made in consultation with the UK government and national governing bodies for other sports to ensure that the decision was a unilateral one.
Question mark over Mazepin
Yesterday The Times reported that the Motorsport UK decision means Russian F1 driver Nikita Mazepin will not be allowed to race at the British Grand Prix in July.
However, due to the wording of Motorsport UK’s official announcement this might no be the case. The British Grand Prix is not a Motorsport UK event — it is run by the FIA and therefore follows the rules of motorsport’s international governing body.
On Tuesday the FIA held an emergency meeting and announced that Russian drivers will be allowed to compete in Formula One grands prix during the 2022 season, albeit under a neutral flag.
This is in line with the International Paralympic Committee’s decision on Wednesday to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
However, this morning the International Paralympic Committee overturned its decision due to intense international condemnation. Athletes from Russia and Belarus are now banned from competing under any flag.
Even before the Paralympic u-turn, one UK motorsport chief told Driving.co.uk “the FIA ruling will surely be upgraded as it is out of kilter with the rest of public opinion”. Either way, they said it is unlikely Motorsport UK will be able to overrule the FIA position, so Mazepin’s participation at Silverstone is likely down to the FIA, not Motorsport UK.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the FIA’s president Mohammed bin Sulayem said that the organisation was watching developments in Ukraine “with sadness and shock” and hoped for a “swift and peaceful resolution” to the situation.
“We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine,” he said.
Motorsport UK told Driving.co.uk that it has “no additional comments beyond yesterday’s statement”.
The uncertainty for Mazepin and the American-owned, Ferrari-powered Haas is further heightened by the removal from their cars of the name of their main sponsor, Uralkali. The Russian fertiliser company is co-owned by Nikita Mazepin’s father, the billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, a former member of Vladimir Putin’s ruling party.
Mazepin is not thought to be among the specific oligarchs currently under sanction by the UK, Europe and United States, though Haas has taken the decision to race in a plain white livery this season rather than the Uralkali colour scheme of red, white and blue, mirroring the Russian flag.
Rumours suggest that Haas may be considering cutting ties with Mazepin and could replace him with another driver to race alongside Mick Schumacher at the team. Neither Haas, Mazepin nor Schumacher scored a single point during the 2021 F1 season and the likeliest candidate to replace Mazepin, at least in the short term, is the team’s reserve driver, the Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of the former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
Whatever Haas decides regarding Mazepin’s future at the team, it will need to act quickly with the 2022 season beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 20.
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