Formula 1 will not be returning to race in Russia as the sport stepped up its response to the invasion of Ukraine.
F1 announced on Thursday that they had terminated their contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix, removing the event from the calendar entirely.
Last week, it was confirmed that the 2022 Russian Grand Prix in Sochi had been cancelled following events in Ukraine.
F1’s latest statement read: “Formula 1 can confirm it has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix promoter. It means that Russia will no longer have a race in the future.
“Last week F1 announced that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in 2022 in the current circumstances.”
The Russian Grand Prix was first held in St. Petersburg in 1913 and was revived in 2014, with that year’s Winter Olympics host - the Black Sea resort of Sochi - holding the annual event at the Sochi Autodrom.
Lewis Hamilton has won the race five times since then, including his dramatic 100th F1 race victory in September when fellow Briton Lando Norris’ hopes of a maiden victory were dashed by heavy rain.
Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas also won in 2017 and 2020, with Nico Rosberg successful in 2016 en route to title glory.
The 2022 F1 season is due to begin in Bahrain later this month, with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin cleared to race by the FIA in a neutral capacity.
However, he has since been barred from competing at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July after a decision by Motorsport UK.
Mazepin’s future with Haas remains uncertain, with the American-owned team having dropped the branding of main sponsor Uralkali from their car livery for the final day of the pre-season test in Barcelona last month.
Uralkali is a Russian potash fertiliser producer and exporter owned by Mazepin’s father, Dmitry.
