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Formula 1 teams will meet on Thursday night to discuss the crisis in Ukraine amid calls for the Russian Grand Prix to be cancelled.
Russia has launched a military attack that Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba as “a full-scale invasion” and Russian president Putin has warned other countries that they will “face consequences greater than any you have faced in history” if they interfere.
F1’s current stance is that it is “closely watching the very fluid developments like many others and at this time has no further comment” on whether the 2022 Russian GP – currently scheduled for September 25 – should be held.
World champions Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso all suggested that F1 should not be racing in Russia in the current situation when questioned about the invasion during pre-season testing on Thursday.
Binotto revealed that teams already had plans to meet to discuss the issue tonight.
“It’s an awful situation. Very sad,” he said. “All we can do is wait and see.
“From now until the race in September, there is time.
“My wish is for everything to stop very soon.
“We will have a meeting tonight to understand and manage the situation.
“F1 in that situation is not the most important one. what’s happening there is. It’s very sad.”
Football’s Champions’ League final is due to take place in Russia at the end of May, but reports suggest a decision to move the event will be ratified by tomorrow.
Vettel spoke in the strongest terms of the drivers who suggested the race was untenable, making clear he would personally boycott it if it went ahead.
“For myself, my own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. It’s wrong to race in the country,” he said.
“I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons. A very strange and mad leadership.”
Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said everyone should understand how unimportant F1 was in scenarios such as the Ukraine crisis.
“Racing is not key in these kind of circumstances,” he said.
“It’s an incredibly tough time. Everyone is monitoring the situation. Racing will come in the future but it’s not the priority.”
His Williams counterpart Jost Capito agreed, and said he trusted F1 and the FIA to make the correct decision quickly.
“It’s a very sad situation and our thoughts are with the people who are involved,” he said.
“It shows us when we look in the mirror that F1 is not the most important thing in the world. There are bigger issues than F1.
“We’re thinking about the performance of our cars while other people are scared to lose their lives.
“We have to have this in mind and I think we’re all aligned on this.
“We have a very good relationship with FOM and the FIA, they are the governing bodies and they are on top of the situation and they will take a proper and right decision for all of us.”
