MOSCOW, Mar 10 Pilots of the Russian racing program SMP Racing will not take part in 2022 in international competitions, according to the website of the program. Earlier, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced the cancellation of the Russian stage of Formula 1 against the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine and allowed Russian drivers to take part in competitions under a neutral flag. Later, the Formula 1 team Haas announced the termination of cooperation with the pilot Nikita Mazepin, as well as with the title sponsor — the Russian company Uralkali. Russian driver of the G-Drive Racing team Roman Rusinov said that he refuses to compete in the current racing season due to discriminatory FIA conditions, and his teammate Daniil Kvyat refused to sign the FIA declaration of commitment to the principles of peace and political neutrality. «SMP Racing program with from its very foundation, I saw in the development of Russian motorsport one of the components of the progress of our country as a whole, and our racers perceive victories on the tracks not only as their personal successes, but also as the successes of the whole of Russia.Therefore, we regard the requirements voiced by the International Automobile Federation as extremely tough and we can’t recommend that our riders follow them,” said Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov, General Director of SMP Racing. In this regard, six Russian riders of the program will not compete in the upcoming season: Vladimir Ivannikov (karting), Nikita Bedrin (Formula 4), Irina Sidorkova (W-Series), Kirill Smal («Formula Regional»), Alexander Smolyar («F formula-3») and Sergey Sirotkin (GT World Challenge Endurance Cup).
