‘How is he allowed to participate?’ Russo-Israeli driver Robert Shwartzman’s scheduled FP1 debut with Ferrari encounters outrage from F1 fans
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Robert Shwartzman
As part of the new sporting regulations for 2022, there is a mandate for teams to field ‘rookie’ drivers in at least two FP1 sessions during the season. A rookie driver is defined as a driver who has not participated in more than two Grands Prix. Nyck de Vries, Liam Lawson and others have already participated at least once.
Now it’s Robert Shwartzman’s turn. Shwartzman finished second in Formula 2 last year and currently serves as Ferrari’s test driver. In Austin, he will undertake his first-ever FP1 outing in the F1-75. However, it has not yet been clarified who it is that he’ll be replacing. As per Formula 1‘s official website, in Hungary, Ferrari’s sporting director Laurent Mekies had said:
“For us, it’s Robert Shwartzman that will do our two FP1s. You are right in saying that you would not pick races like Singapore or races where the race drivers need more running. I don’t think we have an issue in doing it during one of the weekends where we have Pirelli testing.”
Shwartzman has earlier competed under a Russian license, but following the invasion of Ukraine, there has been widespread controversy regarding the participation of Russian drivers. It was part of the reason that Nikita Mazepin was sacked from Haas. While Shwartzmann hasn’t been blacklisted, he will be competing with an Israeli license. Suffice it to say, his participation has encountered mixed reactions.
Controversy over Robert Shwartzman’s participation
Shwartzman was born in Tel Aviv and grew up in Russia. Prior to the Russian invasion, he has always competed with a Russian license, and in a video that surfaced on social media, he has said that he considers himself to be Russian. Some fans are astounded that Shwartzman is able to participate in Formula 1, while the war in Ukraine continues.
On the other hand, some pointed that Robert Shwartzman has not expressed support for the Russian invasion, and he, just being a driver, is not to blame.
However, some believe that as he has supposedly not spoken out against the war in Ukraine, that he should not be able to compete, citing that they would feel insulted as a Ukrainian.
Despite the reaction towards his participation, Shwazrtman has an Israeli license as well, so it should likely go ahead without any obstructions. This is the first FP1 session he will be participating in, and also the first FP1 session where Ferrari is making an allowance for a rookie driver.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)