Formula 1 announced today that it has canceled its contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix, making official its decision to cancel the race for 2022 and extending it into the future.
Last week, the sport announced that it was “impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.” Although the decision was viewed as a strong signal that the sport would not compete in the country, the statement left some room for interpretation, as Formula 1 stated that it was watching developments and specified that it was only impossible to race under the current circumstances.
Now, though, with the contract terminated, “Russia will no longer have a race in the future,” the sport wrote in a statement, leaving little room for interpretation. Formula 1 was signed on to compete once more at the Sochi Autodrome, after which the Grand Prix would be moved to St. Petersburg until 2025.
Read Also: 2022 Russian GP Canceled, May Switch To Turkey Following Ukraine Invasion
Russia has hosted Formula 1 Grands Prix since 2014 when the sport’s then-CEO Bernie Ecclestone signed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is behind the invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian military aggression in Ukraine coincidentally occurred while F1 teams were in Spain testing for the first time this season. The sport’s athletes were quick to respond with Sebastian Vettel immediately saying that he had made his decision and would not race in Russia, regardless of the sport’s decision. Others soon followed suit.
The racing series joins other sporting bodies that have decided to cut ties with Russia. The latest such decision came from the International Paralympic Committee, which decided to ban Russian and Belarussian athletes from competing at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, reports Sky Sports.
The invasion has also put the status of Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin in question. Motorsport UK announced that Russian-licensed drivers will not be allowed to compete in the U.K., meaning that the driver cannot race at the British Grand Prix in July.
The driver’s position at the team is hard to separate from the sponsorship money that his father, who is often accused of being a Russian oligarch, brings to the team through his company, Uralkali. The team, though, decided to pull the company’s branding from its vehicles for the final day of testing and it is rumored that the driver, who underperformed in his rookie season, will be replaced this year.
Haas is already removing the Uralkali sponsoring from their trucks. #AMuS #F1 pic.twitter.com/MPuPGbE7HB
— Tobi Grüner 🏁 (@tgruener) February 24, 2022