Formula One terminates contract with Russian Grand Prix, says the country ‘will not have a race’ in the future

Formula One said Russia ‘will not have a race in the future’ in the wake of its Ukraine invasion

Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and several other drivers said they would not have raced in Russia even if F1 had decided to go there

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Formula One has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:17pm, 3 Mar 2022Updated: 8:20pm, 3 Mar 2022

Formula One has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, saying Russia “will not have a race” in the future.

F1 already cancelled this year’s race, which had been expected to be held in Sochi on September 25. But following further discussions this week, F1 went a step further and ended a contract which ran until 2025.

“Formula 1 can confirm it has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix,” F1 said in a statement. “Russia will not have a race in the future.”

Four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and several other drivers said last week they would not have raced in Russia even if F1 had decided to go there.

German F1 driver Sebastian Vettel said he would not race in Russia, even if F1 had decided to go there. Photo: EPA-EFE

The move comes just days after Formula One, motorsport’s governing body FIA and teams agreed it would be “impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances”.