Oleksandr Bondarev has been showing out in the fourth rung of the junior formula ladder, winning a race in Italian F4 last year and currently leading the inaugural UAE4 Series standings. While his career is thousands of miles from the war in his home country, he’s grateful for the efforts of the Ukrainian military.

“Because of them, we can live our lives, do our work, and be heard by the world,” Bondarev said in a video message for UNITED24. “Ukraine keeps moving forward, and you can support this movement through UNITED24.”

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UNITED24 is a platform that fundraises for causes like buying military equipment and supporting relief programs. Since it is run by the Ukrainian government, it’s considered the safest and easiest method to donate to Ukraine. Many prominent names are also ambassadors for the initiative such as actor Mark Hamill and historian Timothy Snyder.

A resident of Kyiv, Bondarev is the first Ukrainian to sign with an F1 team as a member of Williams’ driver academy. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine while he was kart racing in Italy, and he’s been active in representing Ukraine while trying to make his name known.

The 16-year-old has also helped raise money for the AFU. Last August, he and Lviv bakery SHOco. made a specialty donut for which the proceeds went into buying FPV drones. In 2024, Bondarev made a guest appearance on the stand-up program Underground LIVE to boost a raffle of Michael Schumacher’s 2002 F1 title-winning cap, a campaign that raised over $40,000 for a recon drone.

After starring in karting, Bondarev moved up to open-wheel cars in 2024. He competed in both the Italian and Middle East Formula 4 series, respectively finishing tenth and 12th in points with Prema Racing, while also dabbling in Euro 4 and Formula Trophy.

Bondarev signed with Mumbai Falcons for the first season of the UAE4 Series, a non-FIA successor to the Middle East F4 Championship. Entering this weekend’s season finale in Lusail, he leads the points with four victories.

Featured image credit: UNITED24