"F1 is not the most important in the world" - F1 team bosses set to meet sport's CEO to discuss Russian Grand Prix
F1 team principals Mattia Binotto, Jose Capito and Frederic Vasseur have condemned the evolving situation in Ukraine following an attack by Russia.
Speaking at the Team Principal’s press conference amidst the Barcelona pre-season tests, the team bosses confirmed an emergency meeting with the management of the sport at the end of the second day of testing.
Suggesting the need to overview the situation and observe it closely, Binotto asserted that F1 is unimportant amidst geopolitical issues such as the tension in Ukraine. Condemning the situation in the eastern European country, Ferrari boss Binotto said:
“I think F1, in that situation, is not the most important one. What's most important is what's happening there, which as I said, is very sad. . I think at the moment, all we can do is only to wait to wait and see, and hope for the better.”
The Ferrari principal confirmed a meeting between the teams and management of the sport at the end of the second day of testing.
F1 will gather the team principals for a meeting about the Russian Grand Prix tonight to discuss the situation #F1 #F1Testing
Confirming the emergency meeting between the teams and the sport’s management, Binotto said:
“I think from now to the race in September, there is time. And my wish is that somehow everything will stop very soon. F1 is trying to manage the situation; we will have a meeting between us already tonight, try to understand what's the situation, how to cope and how to manage with it.”
Addressing the issue of the Russian GP in the backdrop of escalating tension in Ukraine is going to cloud the Barcelona pre-season testing. The sport will be pressured to cancel the Russian GP or replace it with another venue.
Williams and Alfa Romeo team bosses believe there are issues more important than F1
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur and Williams team principal Jose Capito joined the Ferrari boss in condemning the situation in Ukraine. Capito felt the lives of people supersede the performance and development of new cars, while Vasseur confirmed that the sport was monitoring the situation closely.
Voicing his opinion over the situation, Capito said:
“I think it's a very sad situation, and our thoughts are with the people who are involved. And it also shows us when we look in the mirror that F1 is not the most important (thing) in the world, that there are bigger issues than F1. We think about the performance of our cars, where other people are scared to lose their lives.”
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen spoke on whether the Russian Grand Prix should go ahead. https://t.co/JIPNrIUzNy
Concurring with the Ferrari boss, Vasseur said:
“Matteo is right. Racing is not key in these kind of circumstances. And it's an incredibly tough time. I think that everybody is monitoring the situation. And racing will come in the future, but it's not the priority today.”
The Turkish GP venue in Istanbul Park is being speculated as a replacement for the Russian GP.
Apart from the team bosses, drivers such as Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel have asked to boycott the Russian GP. However, Haas team principal Gunther Steiner and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin cancelled all press duties in the wake of the situation.