Russian GP: Silence during the anthems and during the race?
The first Russian Grand Prix will be an opportunity for the paddock to be obliged to strictly observe the national anthems. It could also be disrupted by radio frequency jamming.
The moment of the anthems, often anecdotal in F1 as it takes place during the preparation of the cars on the starting grid, will be particularly respected during the Russian Grand Prix, after Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently warned that he wanted total silence, relayed by the FOM to the teams.
« We pray that, during the national anthem, total silence is respected on the starting grid, » states the FOM as quoted by the Daily Telegraph. « It has been indicated that Formula 1 is one of the most ill-mannered sports regarding the national anthem, and the complaints from fans, the public, and political institutions are too significant to be ignored. »
It was also revealed by the BBC that the broadcast of images during the race could be disrupted because Russian security forces might jam radio signals to counter a possible terrorist attack.
« The worst-case scenario would be if we are live and have no warning about when there will be interference, » explained Mark Wilkin, head of Formula 1 for the BBC to the Daily Mail. « We could then be without images for a while. But we have a backup plan. We will have cameras that are not connected to radio frequencies to bypass and still be on air. »
