"I woke up shocked. It's horrible to see what's going on. For my part, my opinion is that I shouldn't go, I won't go", reacted the German Sebastian Vettel during a press conference in Catalonia, where F1 pre-season testing is taking place.
"I think it would be wrong to race in the country," he continued as the GP is scheduled for September 25 in Sochi.
"I feel sorry for the innocent people who lose their lives, who are killed for stupid reasons", and because of "very strange and crazy leaders", he said.
"We are going to talk about it, but my decision is already made," concluded the Aston Martin driver.
"When a country is at war, it's not right to run there, that's for sure. But what matters is not what I think, it's the whole paddock that will decide," said for his part declared the defending champion, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
Max Verstappen on the Sochi circuit during the Russian Grand Prix on September 26, 2020 Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV POOL/AFP/Archives
F1 "is following the developments very closely" of the situation, reacted the championship in a press release, giving "no other comment on the race scheduled for September".
Vladimir Putin's Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, with air strikes and the entry of ground forces, including in the direction of the capital Kiev, killing dozens of people in the early hours, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
© 2022 AFP