The Cyprus Automobile Association has filed a complaint against four-time Formula 1 world champion and current Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel after the German sported a helmet displaying the Turkish Cypriot flag during pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Vettel replaced his regular helmet colours with a special ‘No War’ design for testing, as drivers came together to express their solidarity with Ukraine. However, alongside the Ukrainian flag, his helmet also displayed the controversial flag.
“Vettel’s decision of sporting the pseudo-state’s flag on his helmet is unacceptable,” a statement released by the Cyprus Automobile Association on Friday said.
“We demand the immediate removal of the flag from his helmet and the imposition of a penalty on both the driver and his team.”
Vettel was the most outspoken at the Barcelona test a fortnight ago over Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, as he made clear he would boycott the country’s race if it went ahead.
In the end, Formula 1 and the FIA acted swiftly to drop the Russian Grand Prix from the calendar and cancel its contract under ‘force majeure’ measures.
Prior to the start of the Bahrain test, all the drivers present wore special ‘No war’ T-shirts, using the sunflower symbol in Ukraine’s national colours.