Formula 1 announced this Thursday (3) that it will no longer hold races in Russia, after breaking its contract with the event’s organizers. The move came days after the Russian GP was suspended due to the war in Ukraine.
“Formula 1 can confirm that it has terminated its contract with the organizer of the Russian Grand Prix, which means that Russia will not have a race in the future,” a spokesperson for the series told CNN.
The race, which traditionally took place at the circuit in the city of Sochi, should be transferred to St. Petersburg from 2023. With this Thursday’s announcement (3), plans are cancelled.
The decision to break the contract with the organization comes just days after Formula 1, the FIA (Federation Internationale de Automobilismo) and the category’s teams announced that the holding of the Russian race in the current season was suspended.
“We are watching developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a quick and peaceful solution to the current situation,” the parties said in a joint statement.
They explained that there was a meeting, on Thursday night (24), and the conclusion was that “it is impossible to hold the Russian GP under the current circumstances”.
The race was scheduled to take place between the 23rd and 25th of September this year.
Shortly after the announcement, McLaren, owned by drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, supported Formula 1’s decision.
“McLaren Racing fully supports F1 and the FIA’s decision to remove the Russian GP from the 2022 race calendar,” he wrote on Twitter.
McLaren Racing is in full support of F1 and the FIA’s decision to remove the 2022 Russian Grand Prix from the 2022 race calendar. https://t.co/kW8GljXaMl
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 25, 2022
This Thursday (24), the driver Sebastian Vettel, from Aston Martin, had already spoken out against holding the Russian race.
“I woke up to the news this morning and was shocked. I think it’s horrible to see what’s going on. Obviously, if you look at the calendar, we have a race scheduled in Russia. For me, my opinion is that I shouldn’t go, I won’t,” he said in a post on his official Instagram.
In addition, the US team Haas announced on Thursday (24) that it would abandon the colors of the Russian flag of its car in the pre-season of 2022 to race with a “plain white”.
Haas carried the blue and red in its car because it was sponsored by Uralkali, a Russian fertilizer exporter. The Formula 1 team has announced that it has given up its sponsorship.
Source: CNN Brasil
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