Photo: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
Six days after Formula 1’s leaders announced they canceled this year's edition of the Russian Grand Prix, the sport's leaders have decided to terminate the contract with the promoter of the event. In other words, Formula 1 will not race in Russia this year or next year, and possibly even further down the line.
The deal between Formula 1 and the promoter of the Russian GP was signed many years ago, back when Bernie Ecclestone was in charge of the sport.
While many attempts were made previous to that point, with a Hermann Tilke-designed track, Moscow Raceway, set out less than 50 miles (ca. 80 km) away from Moscow, Formula 1 never reached that circuit.
Instead, the first Russian GP in modern history came in 2014, at the Sochi Autodrom, which was a street circuit positioned around the venues of Sochi's Olympic Park. The resort city was made famous for its hosting of the XXII Olympic Winter Games eight years ago. The same city went on to be one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The last Russian GP was held in 2021 and was won by Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz rounded up the podium. The most wins at the Russian GP were obtained by Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team, and Lewis Hamilton had the most wins there as a driver, with five out of eight possible.
The 2022 race at the Sochi Autodrom was supposed to be the last Formula 1 event held at the circuit before moving on to a new track, dubbed Igora Drive. However, after Russia's military actions against Ukraine, Formula 1 has decided to first place the event on standby.
It did not take long for the contract to be canceled, probably under the “force majeure” clause that is found in many contracts across the world. The latter is just our best guess on the matter, with no further information from the governing bodies of Formula 1.
While many attempts were made previous to that point, with a Hermann Tilke-designed track, Moscow Raceway, set out less than 50 miles (ca. 80 km) away from Moscow, Formula 1 never reached that circuit.
Instead, the first Russian GP in modern history came in 2014, at the Sochi Autodrom, which was a street circuit positioned around the venues of Sochi's Olympic Park. The resort city was made famous for its hosting of the XXII Olympic Winter Games eight years ago. The same city went on to be one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The last Russian GP was held in 2021 and was won by Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz rounded up the podium. The most wins at the Russian GP were obtained by Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team, and Lewis Hamilton had the most wins there as a driver, with five out of eight possible.
The 2022 race at the Sochi Autodrom was supposed to be the last Formula 1 event held at the circuit before moving on to a new track, dubbed Igora Drive. However, after Russia's military actions against Ukraine, Formula 1 has decided to first place the event on standby.
It did not take long for the contract to be canceled, probably under the “force majeure” clause that is found in many contracts across the world. The latter is just our best guess on the matter, with no further information from the governing bodies of Formula 1.
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