How F1 has addressed the crisis in Ukraine

By Joe Murphy

In short, F1 has dealt with the fallout and implications of this crisis in a professional and sensible way. As will be discussed in this article, critics have questioned whether the FIA has done enough in severing their ties with Russia. As you will read, this is not a dig aimed at Formula 1’s governing bodies, instead a piece of praise and recognition.

The war between Russia and Ukraine is a story so big and shocking, it has rocked the world. Not only this but there doesn’t appear to be an imminent end in sight at this moment in time. The invasion of Ukraine has come as a surprise to the majority of nations, as people from all over the planet have, for the most part, come together in a desperate search for peace. Whilst Formula 1 isn’t itself a political institution, there is no doubt that the brand has power and sway in how it conducts its business. The promotion of the motto “We Race As One” has come into prominence, particularly in more recent years, as Formula 1 looks to promote equality across the board. Therefore, races such as that of certain Asian destinations have come into criticism. Therefore, when the Russian invasion presented itself, F1 had to be seen to act. To an extent, they did, but this wasn’t without its problems.

In judging how F1 dealt with the situation, there is only one place to start. Nikita Mazepin has been understandably at the forefront of the major controversy. For the first week of the invasion, both the FIA and Haas remained adamant that the Russian driver would race on the grid in 2022, despite the reported connections between the Mazepin family and the Putin regime. Testing took place as usual, and the driver himself came out publicly to say that he remained focused on the upcoming season. 

Not even 24 hours had passed before Motorsport UK then apparently overruled this decision, deciding to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating on British territory. As a result, Nikita would not be able to race in the 2022 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. It took a further 3 days before Haas themselves decided to cut all ties with the driver. They cut Mazepin’s contract, whilst also terminating the deal the company had with Russian company Uralkali. In essence, the American Constructor decided to take the financial hit by doing the popular thing, and hence avoiding any subsequent criticism. With second phase testing happening in a matter of days, and with less than two weeks at the time of writing until the lights go out in Bahrain, Haas did have limited time to find a replacement, with many speculating who the team would choose to represent them. The majority of spectators thought they would opt for reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi or even make a move to bring Antonio Giovinazzi back to F1 after his release from Alfa Romeo at the end of last year. Instead, with all the moulds and connections already made, Kevin Magnussen will make his triumphant return to the F1 line-up, after just over a year on the sidelines. Fans of the Danish driver may have thought his driver days were over when he was let go by the team in 2019, but hence not. With major organisations and political institutions across the majority of the western world, it could easily be argued that Haas had little choice to replace Nikita Mazepin. It wasn’t as if they were losing a top level driver either, with the young Russian enduring a torrid rookie season last term. It is important to note that the decision was made by the Haas F1 team and not the FIA themselves. Something which has drawn further criticism of the organisation.

Prior to this, F1 had taken some action, however. As an organisation that wants to reinforce positive messages of unity and positivity, Formula 1, the FIA and the teams unanimously decided not to run the Russian Grand Prix on this season’s calendar. Various drivers, including Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, even stated that they would outright refuse to race at Sochi, prior to the official announcement.

With developments from Eastern Europe changing all the time, it is hard to be critical of the FIA. It couldn’t have been an easy deal for themselves, or Haas for that matter, to cut ties on some surely lucrative deals. Realistically, they had no real option. The backlash and negative media attention would have been unprecedented, had the sport continued as normal. Especially considering how other brands such as the Premier League and the NFL have responded clearly in their response. Whilst the argument could certainly be made that the governing bodies could have acted sooner, the circumstances certainly warrant some understanding from the fans. Moreover, the right decision had been made before the teams and drivers headed to the Middle East, earlier this week. With testing now in full swing, eyes are starting to turn to March 20th and the first Grand Prix of the season. It was extremely important that both Formula 1 did not do anything to overshadow what is sure to be a fascinating opening weekend of Motorsport action, and I think they did about as well as they could in the circumstances.

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