Roman Russinov criticises FIA for its sanctions against Russia, but like Nikita Masepin, he too has links to Putin – Farewell to G-Drive Racing
The next Russian racing driver is responding to the sanctions imposed by the FIA, the world governing body of automobiles, following Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine: Roman Russinov spoke out in a lengthy post on Instagram on Saturday evening.
In it,
Russinov criticises the FIA for the measures taken and the code of conduct adopted. Among other things, the ban on teams with a Russian licence directly affects Russinov and his G-Drive Racing banner. G-Drive Racing always competed under a Russian licence at the 24h Le Mans, in the World Endurance Championship WEC and in the ELMS.
Therefore, Russinov announces a withdrawal: “Today I, the driver of the Russian G-Drive Racing team, refused to accept the discriminatory conditions of the FIA. The goal of every sportsman is to hear the anthem of his country on the podium. In ten years of international experience, our team has done this many times. “
“We have raised the Russian flag, we have heard and sung the Russian national anthem. For the sake of my fans, my teammates and my sporting honour, I will not sign this document. It’s better not to race at all. “
Roman Russinov: On Gazprom links to Putin
The truth, however, is that Russinov has connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of oligarchs through G-Drive, just as ex-Formula 1 driver Nikita Masepin does.
Masepin’s father Dmitri is the majority shareholder and chairman of Uralchem, as well as the owner of Uralkali. Putin met with him in the Kremlin as recently as this January. G-Drive, with which Russinov is linked, is a Russian petrol station chain run by state oil company Gazprom.
G-Drive is therefore also affected by the sanctions imposed by international politics. Keyword international: “The GDR team has always been international,” Russinov writes further in his posting. “Pilots, mechanics and engineers come from all over the world. “
Future of G-Drive Racing unclear
“And if we asked everyone to give up their flag, their experience and their names, there would never be a true sporting brotherhood and victories. It’s a shame that these guys won’t be competing for GDR either.”
What will happen next with the team is still unclear. “We are already looking at various projects to develop motorsport in our country. I sincerely hope that we will be able to return to international racing as soon as the spirit of sportsmanship and a level playing field for all participants return,” Russinov says.
G-Drive Racing had planned programmes in WEC, Le Mans and ELMS for 2022. Among the drivers affected are Daniil Kwjat and Sophia Flörsch, with whom they wanted to set up an ELMS programme. Whether Russinow and G-Drive will return to motorsport is currently questionable.
