Formula One has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix and will no longer race in Russia, it said in a statement on Thursday. The 2022 running of the event, set for September at the Olympic Park in Sochi, had already been canceled last week after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“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,” it said in a statement.
F1 has discussed what action to take next over the days since it decided to cancel this year’s race last week, a day after the invasion. It was concluded that holding a race in Russia was not tenable after what had happened.
This means F1 will not race in Russia for the near future – effectively, at least for as long as Putin remains in power.
Nikita Mazepin is the only Russian on the Formula One grid. The 22-year-old already faces an uncertain future after his U.S.-owned Haas team removed all branding related to Russian potash producer and title sponsor Uralkali from its car on the final day of last week’s Barcelona test.
Uralkali is owned by Mazepin’s father, oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, and the fate of the partnership and the Russian’s continued presence at the team is set to be decided this week.
The Russian Grand Prix joined the calendar in 2014. It has been attended by President Vladimir Putin in the past, with the Russian leader even handing out trophies on the podium.
Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine last week, with Belarus used as a key staging area.
The country calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”
