Sebastian Vettel has drawn the ire of the Cyprus Automobile Association after featuring the flag of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on his helmet.
The territory, formed after the annexation of part of northern Cyprus, adopted the flag after declaring its independence in 1983. However its identity is only recognised by Turkey.
Vettel changed his helmet design for the start of testing in Bahrain yesterday. His new design features the message “No War” and draws attention to the conflict in Ukraine using the country’s blue and yellow colours.
The base of the helmet also features representations of many different flags. Among them is the flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Its white background and red details resembles a Turkish flag with the colours reversed and two additional horizontal stripes.
The Cyprus Automobile Association, an FIA member club, said in a statement it has contacted the sport’s governing body to complain about the helmet. It…