F1: It‘s ‘Impossible’ to Hold Russian Grand Prix Given ‘Current Circumstances’
Formula One made a decision concerning September's Russian Grand Prix following the country's military invading Ukraine.
“We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation,” a statement said. “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.”
The 10 F1 bosses held a meeting with Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali on Thursday evening to discuss the matter as the situation in Ukraine continued to escalate. The statement, though, seems to leave some room in case circumstances change, and Rosgonki, the race sponsor, hinted at this possibility in a statement of their own.
“The purchased tickets are not cancelled—there is no need to get refunds for them now because it is still possible that the round will take place and will be held as previously scheduled,” it said, in part.
This comes after drivers either outright said they would not compete or pushed that it should not go on during Thursday's press conferences.
"In my personal opinion, obviously I woke up again to this morning's news and I was shocked,” Sebastian Vettel said. “I think it's horrible to see what is happening and obviously if you look at the calendar we have a race scheduled in Russia. For myself, my opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I'm just really shocked and sad to see what's going on. We will see going forward, but I think my decision is already made.
“I'm sorry for the people, innocent people that are losing their lives, that are getting killed for stupid reasons and a very, very strange and mad leadership.”
Max Verstappen agreed but did not go as far as to say explicitly he'd pull from the race. “I think when a country is at war it’s not correct to race there.”
Russia invaded Ukraine early Thursday, attacking cities and bases after President Vladimir Putin announced he was launching a military operation. The move came despite warnings of consequences from around the world as tensions continued to escalate in the region.
Over the last two days, different leagues have halted their events in Russia. UEFA officially voted Friday to move the 2022 Champions League Final from St. Petersburg, Russia to Paris. On Thursday, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic jointly announced their refusal to play any upcoming World Cup qualifying playoff matches in Moscow and called on FIFA and UEFA to move them from Russia.
Meanwhile, the ATP Tour announced Thursday it has postponed the Moscow CH 80 tournament that was scheduled to take place at the end of February.
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