FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Did F1 block Russian female from entering F1 Academy?

A well-known Russian motorsport boss has slammed Formula 1 for shunning yet another young talent.

At the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in early 2022, Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali were kicked out of the sport by Haas - with the FIA also imposing tough conditions for any Russian drivers amid ongoing anti-Russian global sanctions.

And now, Peter Aleshin, former boss of the Russian driver development program SMP Racing, alleges that F1 excluded young female driver Victoria Blokhina, 17, from consideration for the all-female F1 Academy series for 2024.

Vika was not accepted into the F1 Academy, he told the Russian portal Championat. "It was pure politics. Nothing worked, no matter how hard I tried.

Just a polite refusal - that's all. Although in terms of her level, she is absolutely good enough for this series. We could have ended up there last year, but this year they changed some political concepts, Aleshin charged.

(GMM)