Big discontent after FIA's 'Russia decision': 'This looks bad'

F1 News

2 March 2022 at 07:57
Last update 2 March 2022 at 11:10
  • GPblog.com

The FIA has caused a lot of discontent. The motorsports federation came out with sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, but according to some, they are quite disappointing. Nikita Mazepin can 'just' come into action as a driver for Haas.

The FIA came out with a statement on Tuesday night after consultations with the World Motor Sport Council. Races in Russia and Belarus will be canceled, Russian teams will not be allowed to compete in motor sport events, but drivers will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag. There is a lot of dissatisfaction about the last point in particular.

Mazepin can stay

Mazepin, as a Russian, will be able to compete in Formula 1 in 2022, after he drove under the neutral flag in 2021 due to his country's doping suspension. After the invasion of Ukraine, several sports organizations are excluding athletes and sports teams from Russia, but the FIA is lagging behind in this regard and the IOC's advice is not being followed.

Online, several Formula One experts talk about the punishment being too low. For example, Karun Chandhok argues that the FIA could have also forced drivers from Russia to drive under a different nationality and others especially think that the FIA should have listened to the IOC. However, the question now is whether Haas itself will part with Mazepin, as his sponsor Uralkali is not welcome in the sport.

Dissatisfaction with FIA's decision