FORMULA 1 has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix and the country will not have a race in the future.

The 2022 race scheduled to take place in Sochi in September had already been cancelled in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but F1 has now confirmed that there will not be Grands Prix in the country moving forward.

It means F1 will no longer shift from Sochi to St Petersburg as planned in 2023. The Russian GP was due to head to Igora Drive from next season, with a contract until 2025.
It is understood that the decision to end the Russian GP deal was made last week following a meeting between F1, the FIA and team bosses.

Sports around the world have been cutting ties with Russia, with the International Paralympic Committee the latest to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, meaning they will not take part in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

Yesterday, Motorsport UK announced Russian-licensed drivers have been banned from competing in the United Kingdom.
It means Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, the sole Russian driver on the F1 grid, will not be able to take part in July’s British Grand Prix.

Mazepin’s immediate future in F1 hangs in the balance. His father, oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, is a part-owner of Haas’ title sponsor, Uralkali.
Haas removed the branding of the Russian fertiliser company for the final day of testing in Barcelona last week.

F1’s governing body, the FIA, will still allow Russian drivers to continue to compete, albeit under a neutral flag.

The Russian round was added to the calendar in 2014 after former supremo Bernie Ecclestone struck a lucrative deal with Vladimir Putin. (Sky Sports)