(Montmeló) The Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for September 25 in Sochi, has been canceled, the promoter of the F1 World Championship announced on Friday, due to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army .
Posted at 7:15 a.m.
“On Thursday evening, Formula 1, the FIA and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, taking into account the opinion of all stakeholders, that it is impossible to organize the Grand Prix. of Russia under the current circumstances,” F1 promoter Formula One said in a statement.
“We follow the developments in Ukraine with sadness and bewilderment and hope for a quick and peaceful resolution of the current situation”, is it also written.
The decision comes the day after several drivers called for the race to be canceled – including world champions Max Verstappen (2021) and Sebastian Vettel (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013).
“It’s horrible to see what’s going on. For my part, my opinion is that I should not go, I will not go ”, reacted the German Vettel, pilot of Aston Martin, during a press conference.
For the last day of preseason testing on Friday, the American Formula 1 Haas team, for its part, chose not to wear the Russian colors of its main sponsor Uralkali, a Russian group specializing in potash.
PHOTO LLUIS GENE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Mick Schumacher’s Haas car
Haas, whose single-seaters usually sport the blue, white and red colors as for the Russian flag, presented a plain white livery, without the branding of its title sponsor.
Team principal Guenther Steiner explained on Friday that a decision would be announced next week on the future of the long-term collaboration between Haas and Uralkali. He added that the team was currently unaffected by Western sanctions against Russia.
Uralkali’s non-executive director is businessman Dmitry Mazepin, the father of Haas driver Nikita Mazepin. The latter’s future at the wheel of a Haas is not guaranteed due to developments in the situation, added Steiner.
The Russian Grand Prix was added to the F1 calendar for the first time in 2014. The city of Sochi, host of the Winter Olympics the same year, had been chosen to host it.
The 2022 Russian GP was to be the last to be held in Sochi, before moving to Saint Petersburg in 2023.