According to reports, Scuderia Ferrari has halted its relationship with Russian software company Kaspersky as the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to reverberate throughout the athletic world.
Ferrari has chosen to stop their cooperation with Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, and the name will no longer appear on the car or the drivers’ helmets as a result of an unilateral decision following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Following months of tension and the deployment of more troops to the border between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine on February 24.
The FIA reacted quickly to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, ordering that no Russian or Belarusian flags or colors be used in global motorsport. However, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto quickly referred to Kaspersky as a “global company,” defending the team’s continued association with the Russian company.
The German federal cybersecurity authority, BST, recently warned that there was a “high risk of an IT attack” associated with Kaspersky, which is why the company’s logo was removed off the Ferrari F1-75 and links were temporarily severed.
“The actions of Russian military and intelligence forces, and threats made by Russia against the EU, NATO and Germany in the course of the current armed conflict, pose a considerable risk of a successful IT attack,” BST said in a statement.
They then warned that the IT firm might try to carry out such an attack.
“A Russian IT manufacturer can carry out such offensive operations itself,” explained BST.
Ferrari was approached for comment on the status of their partnership with the Russian sponsor, but they declined. However, a spokesperson from the Maranello based team has acknowledged that their affiliation with them has been temporarily halted.
“The partnership is paused for the time being due to a joint decision taken by the two companies,” Ferrari said, before adding that, as they observe the developments in Eastern Europe, they are “assessing the situation.”
Uralkali, a Russian potash company, had its contract with Haas terminated following the invasion because it is partly owned by oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who is reported to have close ties to Putin and the Kremlin.
As his seat with Haas was paid for by his father, Nikita’s contract was canceled, and he has since claimed that they had “no legal grounds” to let him go.
Kevin Magnussen has been brought in to replace him after leaving the Banbury squad at the end of 2020.
