F1 2022 thread - see post 1 for rules

It'd be pretty pointless. Nationality has no connection to the licence so it'd be ineffectual.

It would be up to the FIA to ban Russian race licence holders from racing internationally. I don't think there would be anything stopping a driver applying for a licence from a different country and racing under a neutral flag though. Whether Mazepin has the funds and would risk upsetting Putin by doing this though is the question.

Pietro Fittipaldi would not be an improvement over Mazepin. Giovinazzi would be a better shout but still not a great driver either.

Does he not need a visa for every race except Baku and Russia? Maybe Saudi Arabia too? If he can't race is about 20 of the races, no point having him.

Is it bad luck or poor judgement with Haas.

2 of the main sponsor mess ups in recent times are Haas title sponsors.

Everyone knew Rich Energy was up to no good before that Haas had turned a wheel yet they blindly took them on board. I remember Steiner being asked about Rich Energy before the season and he said they have done their due diligence. Questions need to be asked there really.

Then you look at uralkali sponsor. Fair enough, they couldn't foresee the war but dealing with such Russian companies was dodgy from day one. Mazepin isn't good enough for a start.

Poor management when they have to be taking gambles on unfit companies for title sponsorship when you would imagine they should have the whole of the USA to do business with.

Totally right on Rich Energy but a bit harsh on Uralkali. I doubt they're refusing American sponsors in favour of Russian ones out of principle. I'd say it's much more about availability. F1 needs to open a market in North America. It doesn't really exist yet. It would take a brave american sponsor to throw millions at it to set the trend.

Rich Energy is a strange one. Apparently Williams had lined up RE as a sponsor and Haas gazumped them at the last minute. That raises a question about how much time there was for due diligence and whether the distraction of trying to get the deal done ahead of Williams meant that's where they slipped up.

But the fact that Williams was also interested means William Storey must have been able to spin a good yarn. He was a grifter but he grifted at a pretty high level.

Indeed - but the atheletes themselves were not banned.

Though this seems to have changed with the latest IOC announcement too.

My point is simply if you look at football, all Russian teams (National and club) are currently suspended from playing any matches, but Russian players themselves are not - a russian playing in the PL for example can still play football for his club, same in other countries. If the same is true to F1, then Mazepin should be allowed to drive in the same way a footballer is allowed to play.

I don't know if Russian players in other sports, such as Tennis, are now banned/suspended, which would then give the other side of the argument on Mazepin.

I reckon he'll be gone one way or the other. The only reason he has his seat is the sponsorship he brings along. Once that's gone - why keep him? There are better drivers out there, that won't have the headache of being Russian with the visas/etc. And the closeness to Putin (family at least).

No loss to the grid anyway, from an ability or personality point of view...

Well I wasn't aware that the Racing licence was provided at a National level rather than by the FIA, which does possibly change things - which was the starting point of my question on this.

Bit worrying for an Irish youngster, Alex Dunne, who is racing in the Arab division of Formula 4. While Uralkali isn't the title sponsor on his overalls they clearly are a big backer (pun not intended) going by their prominence on the team kit.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CaXXiRqATNa/?utm_medium=copy_link

Sure that was the rule anyway.

Just a small point, Mazepin doesn't earn a living, he's a 'gentleman' driver, in fact if anything, his dad gives him pocket money to drive

Go back 25 odd years. Do you believe that Eddie Irvine should have publicly denounced the IRA and all it's activities before being allowed to participate in Formula 1? Even today I have no idea if he's Nationalist, Republican, Unionist or Loyalist and to be quite honest I never cared less.

Children are not guilty by association of the crimes of their parents or relatives.

Suppose it was Kvyat still at one of the Red Bull teams? Should he be forced to denounce his home? Maybe none of the British drivers should have been allowed to participate while British troops were in Iraq and Afghanistan? Many a Russian has left their motherland and is still allowed to turn up for their work place as normal. Why should athletes be different?