The Russian military attack in Ukraine, which began on the morning of 24 February and is still in progress, has had and is having serious consequences for Vladimir Putin’s country not only on the political-international front, but also on the sports front. In addition to losing all events and all world competitions in Russia, the Russian athletes also had to participate in the Olympics or other world-class championships as neutral participants, under penalty of exclusion from the events, as happened to the former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin, who was replaced by Haas before the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
While fellow Russian Nikita Mazepin lost his place on the grid as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and did not take a stand against the events, Scuderia Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman reacted to the anti-Russian sanctions and decided to apply for an Israeli racing license in order to be able to continue his racing career.
The 23-year-old Ferrari junior, who currently serves as a development driver for the Maranello team, wears an Israeli flag on his car and overalls.
“I was born there, in Tel Aviv,” Robert Shwartzman explained, in an interview for sports.ru – “My father’s family is from Israel, he was also Israeli. I spent the first three years of my life in Tel Aviv, then my family moved to Russia. When I started karting, my father decided that we would get a Russian license because we lived in Russia. I have always had an Israeli passport. And when the situation between Russia and Ukraine worsened, I decided to apply for a racing license from Israel. In the end, I want to be a racer and my main goal is Formula 1.” – he continued.
Nikita Mazepin and several other Russian athletes have hit out on the decisions and sanctions imposed by the sporting bodies as a result of the Ukraine conflict, but Robert Shwartzman admitted that for him the most important thing is to be able to pursue his dream of one day racing in Formula 1.
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Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, would have allowed Russian drivers to take part in their competitions with the condition of signing a document which denounces Russia’s senseless aggression:
“After the FIA made the decisions that they had made, I needed to make sure I was available for work as soon as possible if Ferrari needed to put me behind the wheel. We acted quickly so as not to miss our opportunities.” – the Ferrari Driver Academy member explained.
To make sure he would have no problems in the future, Robert Shwartzman decided to break all ties with SMP Racing, the Russian motorsport developing program created by oligarch Boris Rotenberg, founder of the SMP Bank of Russia, who was among the Russian personalities named specifically in European sanctions due to their close link with Vladimir Putin
“This chapter is closed,” Robert Shwartzman pointed out, when asked about his partnership with SMP Racing – “I certainly would not have been able to achieve all this and be here now without their support, but this year I – let’s say – started walking on my own and now all my sports activities depend on Ferrari.” – he added.
The Ferrari junior recently got the chance to make his official Formula 1 debut, by taking part in the first free practice session for the United States Grand Prix last week at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and is now confident that he will be able to find a seat in Formula 1 in the near future, also thanks to the support of Ferrari:
“Honestly, I don’t have a backup plan if it doesn’t work out with Formula 1,” Robert Shwartzman concluded.
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