The next Russian racing driver is reacting to the sanctions imposed by the FIA, the world automobile association, after Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine: Roman Rusinov spoke up in a long post on Instagram on Saturday evening.
Rusinov criticized the FIA for the measures taken and the code of conduct adopted. Among other things, the ban on teams with a Russian license hits Rusinov and his G-Drive Racing banner directly. G-Drive Racing always started under a Russian license at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the Endurance World Championship WEC and in the ELMS.
Therefore, Rusinov announces a retirement: “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 be on the podium his country’s anthem In ten years of international experience, our team has done this many times.”
“We raised the Russian flag, we heard and sang the Russian national anthem. In the interest of my fans, my teammates and my sporting honor, I will not sign this document. It’s better not to drive at all.”
Roman Rusinov: Connections to Putin via Gazprom
However, the truth is that Rusinov has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of oligarchs via G-Drive, as does ex-Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin.
Mazepin’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 this January. The company G-Drive, with which Rusinov is affiliated, is a Russian gas station chain operated by the state-owned 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,” continues Rusinov in his post. “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 real sporting brotherhood and victories. It’s a shame these guys won’t be competing for GDR either.”
How the team will continue is still unclear. “We are already considering various projects to develop motorsport in our country. I sincerely hope that we can return to international racing as soon as the sportsmanship and level playing field for all participants return,” explains Rusinov.
G-Drive Racing had planned programs in WEC, Le Mans and ELMS for 2022. In the ELMS, in cooperation with Algarve Pro Racing, Sophia Flörsch would also have started. It is currently questionable whether Rusinov and G-Drive will return to motorsport.