After a somewhat inexplicable delay, Formula One finally made a decision to terminate its contract with the Russian Grand Prix for the foreseeable future due to the country’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine and Russian president Vladimir Putin’s connection to and control over that race.
In what has become an unfortunate pattern of inadequate and slow reaction to, first, the 2021 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fiasco and now the Russian Grand Prix situation, Formula 1 took a few days before cancelling the 2022 Russian Grand Prix and then inexplicably took a few more days before finally terminating the Russian Grand Prix contract after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 2022 Russian Grand Prix was due to be held in Sochi on September 25 but has since been cancelled, while the 2023 Russian Grand Prix had been slated to move to St Petersburg [Putin’s hometown], but will now also not take place.
Meanwhile, the FiA – F1’s governing body – continues to drag their feet on the situation by allowing Russian competitors to take part in global motorsport events under neutral terms, which forced Motorsports UK to ban Russian and Belarussian drivers from races held in the UK – including the 2022 British Grand Prix.