Formula One has no plans to race in Russia, CEO Stefano Domenicali said to Sport Bild magazine.
Six months ago, the country invaded Ukraine, killing more than 5,500 civilians and injuring more than 7,800 as of the United Nations’ Aug. 22 update. A day after the invasion, F1 announced “it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.”
A week later, Formula One confirmed it “terminated” its contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix. This came after the governing body of Formula One announced that the reason for canceling the event was because of “force majeure.”
The Grand Prix was to be held in Sochi this year before moving to St. Petersburg in 2023. However, Domenicali told Sport Bild magazine, “I’ve always believed that you should never say never. But in this case, I can promise for sure—we will no longer negotiate with them.
“There will be no more racing in Russia.”
In wake of this year’s Grand Prix being canceled, Alexey Titov, the CEO of the Grand Prix’s promoter ANO Rosgonki, told Russian news agency Tass, per Reuters, that he expects a refund from F1.
“This debt exists, it is confirmed and our position on it is unchanged,” Titov said. “We expect a refund regardless of the current position of Formula One Management in relation to holding races in the Russian Federation.
"The current situation in world sports is extremely politicized. It is necessary to take Domenicali's words here with this in mind. What he said has a pronounced political connotation that has nothing to do with the real spirit of sports.
“The future of our relations today is really unclear. We will take Domenicali’s position into account in our further work.”
