German F1 race car driver Sebastian Vettel has called on the FIA to cancel the Russian GP after the country’s military invasion of the Ukraine on Thursday.
Vettel, who is known for his tendency to speak out on issues of social and human rights violations, said he would boycott the September meet if it were to continue.
Vettel said not competing is his own personal opinion and decision. He said he considers it wrong to race in a country killing innocent people under the dictatorship of a strange and mad leadership. He said what is happening in the Ukraine right now is both shocking and maddening.
But Red Bull team principal Christian Horner agrees. Speaking on Thursday, Horner said he did not see how F1 can go to ahead with its plans of competing in Russia given the current climate and situation. He said while the decision remained one to be taken by the sport’s governing body and the commercial rights holders, he did not foresee the situation between Russia and the Ukraine changing much by September.
Red Bull driver and world champion Max Verstappen, too, echoed Horner’s and Vettel’s sentiments on the matter. According to Verstappen, it would be wrong to race in a country at war.
According to a statement issued by the FIA on Thursday morning, the sport will continue to monitor the situation. A meeting has now been convened to discuss how the sport should react going forward.
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