March 03, (THEWILL) – Formula 1 has cancelled its contract with the Russian Grand Prix on a more permanent basis.
As THEWILL previously reported, the F1 scheduled race in Sochi, which was supposed to take place in September, had already been cancelled but the latest decision comes amid rising international condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After this latest overwhelming verdict, there will no longer be a race in St Petersburg, where the Russian Grand Prix was scheduled to transfer to in 2023.
A statement to this effect on Thursday read, in part: “Formula 1 can confirm it has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix promoter meaning Russia will not have a race in the future.”
Earlier, a number of F1 race drivers, such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, urged for the country to be banned from the Formula One calendar. Vettel has stated that if the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi is held as scheduled on September 25, he would not compete.
At pre-season testing in Barcelona, Vettel did not mince words: “My own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. It’s wrong to race in the country. I’m sorry for the people, innocent people who are losing their lives, getting killed for stupid reasons.”
“When a country is at war, it is not right to race there.” F1 World Champion Verstappen added.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
