Ferrari junior Robert Shwartzman is part of a list of Russian racing drivers close to the Formula 1 paddock which are no longer able to compete under their national flag.
This was the decision made yesterday by the FIA, which followed a number of sport’s other top governing bodies as a result of Russia launching a devastating attack on Ukraine, a European democracy of 44 million people. Russian and Belarusian drivers will compete in a neutral capacity and under the ‘FIA flag’.
Russia has been hit by a list of sanctions by nations around the world due to the following the invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared it a “special military operation” in Ukraine. The repercussions were immediate, and far-reaching: it has also seen a sudden response from the sporting world with FIFA and UEFA issuing bans against Russia and Belarus. On Monday, the International Olympic Committee recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be banned from competitions.
After an extraordinary meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council which took place yesterday, arranged by new President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, members voted to follow the IOC’s recommendations in the motorsport world.
However, the IOC’s statement included that “wherever this is not possible on short notice for organisational or legal reasons, the IOC EB (Executive Board) strongly urges International Sports Federations and organisers of sports events worldwide to do everything in their power to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus”.
This means that Russian and Belarusian drivers are still allowed to take part in motorsport competitions but as neutrals.
Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin is still not sure of his place on the grid due to voluntarily drop of his Russian sponsors Uralkali, but there are several other names in high-level motorsport that will be affected by the FIA’s restrictions, including Ferrari-backed Robert Shwartzman, who was born in Israel but identifies as Russian, racing under the Russian flag.
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In 2021, the 22-year-old finished second in Formula 2, behind only Alpine test and reserve driver Oscar Piastri in the race for the F2 title. His strong finish was considered the next step in a steady progress, after he previously won the Toyota Racing Series and the Formula 3 championship.
Still young, Robert Shwartzman has been kept close by Ferrari and is set to be the team’s test driver for the 2022 Formula One season.
Robert Shwartzman could still appear under a national flag during the next season, if he can prove to the FIA that he has close links to or a domicile in Israel – should he wish to go down this route. It would – in theory – allow him to apply for a new FIA licence as an Israeli driver.
He would not be the first driver to apply for a licence in a country other than their homeland, with British-born racer Alex Albon currently racing under the Thai flag.
But for now it seems that the Ferrari junior will compete under the flag of the FIA.
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