Ferrari have said that their Russian test driver Robert Shwartzman would drive under an Israeli licence in any future outings with them. Shwartzman finished second in the 2021 Formula 2 championship, and has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2017. He went on to take part in the F1 end-of-season test last year for both Ferrari and Haas, and was announced as the Scuderia's test driver for 2022. However, the FIA introduced restrictions concerning the participation of Russian drivers following the country's invasion of Ukraine in February. As part of this, Russian and Belarusian drivers can only compete in championships under a neutral flag. Shwartzman previously raced under a Russian licence, so, under this, would not be able to take part in a Formula 1 weekend.
Binotto explains situation with Shwartzman
Mattia Binotto, team boss at Ferrari, has explained that Shwartzman would be classified as Israeli. "Robert is born in Israel," Binotto told media, including RacingNews365.com , ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. "He's got an Israeli passport. In terms of licence, it's not a Russian one. He was in agreement as well with Russian companies, he interrupt any agreement he got with those [companies]. "So, at the moment, he is still our test driver and he will remain for that. And if we will have in the future any opportunity to let him drive, we will probably let him drive."
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