23 January 2023 , 16:34
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Sporting titles won while Russian competitors are banned are "not valid" in the eyes of one former Formula 1 star.
Many sporting federations were quick to act in the days and weeks after Russia first began its invasion of Ukraine last February. Some banned competitors from that country or their allies Belarus from taking part at all, including the International Olympic Committee.
Others took a less hard-line approach, including the FIA. The Russian Grand Prix was removed from the calendar, but racers from those countries were still allowed to compete under a neutral flag and provided they followed several other rules put in place after an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council.
Despite still technically being allowed to race – apart from at Silverstone after Motorsport UK's outright ban – Nikita Mazepin was let go by Haas on the eve of the season. That decision was taken in response to the invasion, while the driver himself later declared he would not be willing to race without the Russian flag anyway.
Speaking generally about the world of sport, former F1 racer Vitaly Petrov has expressed his belief that excluding Russian athletes makes the competition not "valid". The former Renault and Caterham driver, by extension, feels the same to be true of Max Verstappen's title win last year.
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"Without Russia, I don't consider a single champion or Olympic title to be valid," he told Russian media. "We have to stop being afraid of our people and bring Russia back into world sport.
Former F1 driver Vitaly Petrov (Getty Images)"For me, it's not acceptable. I don't understand at all this absurdity of imposing certain opinions on people. We can use the current situation as an impetus for the development of motorsport, training young people to guide them further into the future."
Petrov went on to declare that Russian competitors will be back one day as "this isolation will not last forever". He added: "I understand it's difficult, but no one should give up.
"I myself have wanted to race in Formula 1 all my life, so I understand young drivers very well. But they have to be patient, practice and not stop believing, so when the opportunity to come back comes, we'll all be ready."
Russo-Israeli driver Robert Shwartzman is not expected to race in F1 this year but is a reserve for Ferrari, and will be taking part in another championship in the meantime. Mazepin will be nowhere near F1, but did recently tease a return to international racing action.