Barcelona (dpa) – Formula 1 will not drive in Russia this year after the Russian attack on Ukraine. The Grand Prix in Sochi was scheduled for September 25th.
It was “under the current circumstances” impossible to host the Russian Grand Prix, it said in a statement. The decision was made after a meeting between Formula 1, the world motorsport association Fia and the teams. All relevant interest groups were included in the decision.
“We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and dismay and hope that the current situation will be resolved quickly and peacefully,” it said.
The premier class of motorsport last forgone a race in 2011 for political reasons. At the time, Bahrain was not driven after political unrest, after people had also died there.
Lots of riders against a Russian GP
Drivers like Sebastian Vettel had previously positioned themselves clearly against a race in Russia in 2022. “My opinion is that I shouldn’t go there and I won’t either. I think it’s wrong to drive in this country,” said the four-time Aston Martin world champion on the sidelines of the test drives in Barcelona and reiterated: “My decision is already certain.”
World champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull also criticized the race in Sochi. “We shouldn’t be racing in a country that’s at war, but the whole paddock should decide,” he said.
Since 2014, the Black Sea resort of Sochi, which also hosted the Winter Olympics in the same year, has been used. Actually, a Formula 1 race was supposed to take place there for the last time this year anyway. The move to the gates of St. Petersburg is planned from 2023.