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Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has come in support of the FIA’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers under a "neutral flag."
Ukraine’s motorsport federation had earlier urged the FIA to ban all Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing at the world championship level following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to the PA news agency, Ecclestone defended the FIA’s decision, saying:
“It was absolutely the right decision by the FIA. There are so many things being agreed by the world about this conflict between Russia and Ukraine. But I don’t think anybody has really thought it through or got their heads around it.”
He further went on to say:
“If there is a Russian driver in F1, what does it have to do with Russia fighting a war? There is no relationship there. The Russian athletes have nothing to do with this conflict. They are not a part of it, and they have never been a part of it. They just happen to be Russian.”
The FIA’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers to compete in world championship motorsport events is increasingly becoming an outlier. Other international sporting bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, had earlier announced bans on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Meanwhile, despite the FIA’s decision, Motorsport UK has unilaterally banned all Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing in events within the UK, including at the 2022 British Grand Prix. Motorsport Australia is also rumored to be considering similar actions.
Vladimir Putin “wouldn’t care much” about canceled F1 race: Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone has claimed that the Russian president Vladimir Putin “wouldn’t care much” about the canceled Russian GP given that the world has been branding him a criminal. Speaking to PA, the 91-year-old said:
“There is no war in Russia. The FIA confirmed it was canceled because the Formula One Group canceled it. If nobody spoke about canceling the race, I am sure the FIA wouldn’t have done anything. He [Putin] is probably not happy at all with what is happening, but with all these things going on, and him being branded a criminal and with the world against him, I don’t think he would care too much about a Formula 1 race.”
The FIA may have chosen not to join fellow international sporting bodies in banning Russian athletes from competing in world championships. F1, however, was quick to take a firm stance against the Russian invasion.
In the immediate aftermath of the invasion, the sport suspended plans to race in Sochi later this year. It subsequently announced that it had terminated its contract with the Russian promoter.
Meanwhile, Ecclestone criticized F1’s decision to cancel the Russian GP, claiming Putin to be an “honourable” man. The Briton, who headed the sport for nearly four decades, played an instrumental part in its return to Russia in 2014.
