The ‘termination’ of the F1 agreement would mean that Russia will no longer host a Formula One race in the future.
As a result of the Russian Ukraine invasion, the 2022 Russian Grand Prix is expected to export its Formula One (F1) to Qatar, where it also acted as an alternative host to last year’s cancelled Australian Grand Prix, according to the Spanish AS.
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Similar to the season in 2021, this year’s mega race will be held at the Losail International Circuit. Qatar still has a 10-year contract running with F1 until 2030.
The F1 race will potentially take place in Qatar on September 25th.
Reportedly, Qatar, the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, initially did not want to organise the race in 2022, as its target date was November and that would have potentially overlapped with the major football event. The vacant spot, due to Sochi’s stepping-down as the 2022 Grand Prix host, interested the Gulf country.
Upon revealing its calendar for the 2022 season, a record-breaking 23 Grand Prix schedule approved by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s World Motor Sport Council, the season will begin in Bahrain on March 20th and will conclude in Abu Dhabi on November 20th.
Qatar, however, was not alone on the list of potential replacements, as Istanbul and Bahrain were viewed as potential hosts of the major racing event.
Russia dismissed as Formula One host
F1, initially set for 25 September at the Olympic Park in Sochi, is no longer taking place in Russia upon the sport’s official decision to terminate its contract with the “promoter of the country’s Grand Prix,” two weeks ago reports said.
Sport institutions’ response to Russian invasion
FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) had both made a decision late February that all Russian teams, whether national representative teams or club teams, will be suspended from participating in both FIFA and UEFA competitions until further notice.
The decision came following international calls to ban Russia from taking part in international sporting events, upon its launch of full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has since appealed against FIFA’s ban, with the court hearing expected to unravel later on this week.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport, however, has adamantly upheld the ban, under an ‘urgent ruling’, on Russian football teams’ participation in any UEFA competition this Tuesday.