(Reuters) – Ukraine’s motorsports federation has called on Formula One’s governing FIA to ban all Russian and Belarusian license holders from taking part in its competitions, which if accepted could put Russia’s Nikita Mazepin out of the sport.
The call for a ban was part of a list of proposals put forward by the Federation Automobile de l’Ukraine (FAU) to Mohammed Ben Sulayem on Sunday in response to a letter written by the FIA president offering the body’s full support to the FAU after Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine.
Formula One on Friday said it will not race in Russia this season, adding it was “impossible” to do so under the “current circumstances”.
Mazepin already faces an uncertain future with his Haas team set to work on resolving it this week, along with the future of their partnership with Russian potash producer and title sponsor Uralkali, which is owned by Mazepin’s father.
The 22-year-old, who drives alongside Mick Schumacher and made his debut last year, has so far raced under a neutral flag as part of doping sanctions imposed on Russia but competes on a Russian license.
Haas, as part of the Uralkali sponsorship deal, have run their cars in a Russian flag-themed livery.
The U.S.-owned team, however, have already taken all Uralkali branding and Russian flag colours off their car, running it in an all-white livery on the final day of Barcelona testing on Friday.
The FIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposals put forward by the Ukrainian federation.
The proposals included calls to prohibit the use of Russian and Belarusian state symbols during FIA events, the holding of FIA events in Russia or Belarus, the staging of events sanctioned by the Russian motorsports federation in the occupied territories of Ukraine and the exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian members from the FIA.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”.
(Reporting by Abhishek Takle; editing by Christian Radnedge)
