Formula 1 has turned down yet another aspiring Russian driver.
When the Ukraine-Russia conflict broke out over two years ago, Haas dismissed Nikita Mazepin and his sponsor Uralkali, while F1 dropped the Russian GP and imposed limitations on other FIA-sanctioned Russian drivers.
Now, newly crowned world karting champion Kirill Kutskov, who has been racing under the flag of Kyrgyzstan, has found that Formula 1 teams are not interested in engaging with him.
"At the FIA gala ceremony we spoke with Christian Horner," stated 15-year-old Kirill's father, Ilya.
"When I began introducing my son, he responded 'Yes, I know Kirill, we follow all the races'. He added, 'As soon as you have another passport, call us and we'll bring you to Red Bull.'
"Maybe he was joking, maybe not - who knows?"
The karting team Kutskov won the 2023 world championship with, KPK, received partial funding from Fernando Alonso's karting chassis organisation.
"He co-financed the team," Ilya Kutskov added, "and because of that, they were able to recruit Kirill for a season and secure the world championship. A successful investment," he told the Russian portal Championat.
"But they then informed us, 'Guys, the current situation means we can't take you under our wing anymore. Please forgive us. He's a deserving driver, but it's all about the passport and the politics.'
"McLaren expressed the same sentiment, while Williams didn't even bother talking to us," he revealed.
