Photo: Aston Martin / Twitter
After the start of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine on February 24th, German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel said he would not race in the 2022 Russian Grand Prix.
The World's Motorsport Council, FIA, hasn't made a statement regarding the Russian Grand Prix, which is scheduled for September 25th in Sochi. Yet, drivers are already taking a stand against what has been going on in Eastern Europe. Former Formula 1 Champion Sebastian Vettel said at a pre-season testing conference in Barcelona, "My own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. It's wrong to race in the country."
Sebastian Vettel races for the Aston Martin F1 team and has already won four World Drivers' Championship titles, three of them back to back between 2010 and 2013. He was the youngest driver to ever win an F1 championship. He is not alone in this decision. The reigning F1 World Champion Max Verstappen also calls for a Russian GP removal from the 2022 calendar after the armed conflict that ignited this very morning in Ukraine.
Moreover, as the director of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), Vettel is one of the loudest voices on the grid in terms of human rights and social responsibility. He didn't make this statement on behalf of the Association, but on his own. His ideas appeared to be shared by other drivers, who might also take a stand and force the motorsport council to cancel the race in Russia.
At the time of writing, the FIA made no official statement concerning the Russian Grand Prix, which, for the moment, remains scheduled for this fall. However, to keep the same number of races, the motorsport council might replace Sochi with Istanbul. The Turkish Grand Prix was dropped from the 2022 F1 racing calendar.
The FIA is expected to have an urgent meeting and decide whether it will keep or delete the Russian Grand Prix for this year. They probably will cancel it, since the race has already been removed from the Formula One ticketing website.
This would not be the only sporting event that gets canceled due to this armed conflict. UEFA has already announced that the Champions League Final, which was set to take place in St. Petersburg on May, 28, will be moved to some other location.
Sebastian Vettel races for the Aston Martin F1 team and has already won four World Drivers' Championship titles, three of them back to back between 2010 and 2013. He was the youngest driver to ever win an F1 championship. He is not alone in this decision. The reigning F1 World Champion Max Verstappen also calls for a Russian GP removal from the 2022 calendar after the armed conflict that ignited this very morning in Ukraine.
Moreover, as the director of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), Vettel is one of the loudest voices on the grid in terms of human rights and social responsibility. He didn't make this statement on behalf of the Association, but on his own. His ideas appeared to be shared by other drivers, who might also take a stand and force the motorsport council to cancel the race in Russia.
At the time of writing, the FIA made no official statement concerning the Russian Grand Prix, which, for the moment, remains scheduled for this fall. However, to keep the same number of races, the motorsport council might replace Sochi with Istanbul. The Turkish Grand Prix was dropped from the 2022 F1 racing calendar.
The FIA is expected to have an urgent meeting and decide whether it will keep or delete the Russian Grand Prix for this year. They probably will cancel it, since the race has already been removed from the Formula One ticketing website.
This would not be the only sporting event that gets canceled due to this armed conflict. UEFA has already announced that the Champions League Final, which was set to take place in St. Petersburg on May, 28, will be moved to some other location.
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