Formula 1 has cancelled this season’s Russian Grand Prix, saying “it is impossible to hold the Russian GP in the current circumstances”.
The Sochi race was due to be held on September 25 but, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the sport has released a statement to cancel it.
After the decision was announced on Friday, the UK culture secretary Nadine Dorries said: “The withdrawal of the Russian Grand Prix is yet another clear message to President Putin that the international sporting world will not stand by and allow him to use these events to legitimise his illegal and deadly invasion of Ukraine.”
In a statement on Friday, the organisers announced that it was impossible to host the racing event after discussions with relevant stakeholders.
The statement read, “On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.”
Formula One becomes the second organisation to cancel a sports event in Russia for the 2022 calendar after the Union of European Football Associations cancelled their biggest club event of the season.
The UEFA Champions League Final had been scheduled for the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, but was moved to the Stade de France in Paris, France.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has drawn different reactions from the sports world with footballers displaying banners and inscriptions calling for an end to the attacks on Ukraine.
Former international and coach of Ukraine’s national men’s football team, Andriy Shevchenko, has also called for an end to the attacks stating that his family and compatriots were under serious attack.
