Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov fires shots at the FIA for ‘absurd’ ban on Russian drivers: ”It's not acceptable”

Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov has lashed out at the FIA's ban on Russian drivers. After the sudden outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the FIA decided to ban all Russian drivers from participating in motorsport events.

Consequently, Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin lost his seat while Danil Kvyat lost an opportunity to take part in endurance racing. The ban has also seen Ferrari driver academy protege Robert Shwartzmann represent the Israeli flag while racing instead of the Russian flag that he represented earlier.

Speaking to Sport-Express, Petrov lashed out at the absurd nature of imposing opinions on people from a particular part of the world and said:

"Without Russia, I don't consider a single champion or Olympic title to be valid. We have to stop being afraid of our people and bring Russia back into world sport. Everyone can decide for themselves, but I wouldn't. For me, it's not acceptable. I don't understand at all this absurdity of imposing certain opinions on people."

Petrov, however, did look at the positives of the situation and felt it could help improve the motorsport ecosystem in his country. He said:

"Of course it's sad, but if all the strongest drivers compete in Russia, it will increase the competition and the general level considerably. People will try different categories and new cars, and a new audience will appear. We can use the current situation as an impetus for the development of motorsport, training young people to guide them further into the future."

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Drivers have to be patient and ready for when an opportunity in F1 comes up: Vitaly Petrov

Vitaly Petrov was optimistic about Russia's motorsports future as he felt that this isolation wouldn't last forever and things would soon change for the better. He also urged the young F1 aspirants to be ready when the opportunity presents itself, saying:

"After all, this isolation will not last forever. I understand it's difficult, but no one should give up. I myself have wanted to race in Formula 1 all my life, so I understand young drivers very well. But they have to be patient, practice and not stop believing, so when the opportunity to come back comes, we'll all be ready."

Vitaly Petrov's F1 career lasted from 2010 to 2012 during which he took one podium position. The Russian is also famous for blocking Fernando Alonso during the entire 2010 F1 Abu Dhabi GP which resulted in the Spaniard losing the title.