Russia has no place in our country anymore! F1 boss Stefano Domenicali cracks down on Russian promoter and refuses to discuss further races

Formula 1 has cancelled the planned Russian Grand Prix due to this year’s Russian-Ukrainian conflict and it seems that the queen of motorsport will never visit Russia again. Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has clearly refused any further negotiations.

In response to Russia’s act of aggression on the territory of Ukraine, Formula 1 has cancelled this year’s Russian Grand Prix, with what was to be the last race in Sochi before the queen of motorsport would move to St Petersburg for years to come.

Or rather, to the Igor Drive circuit, which is roughly 50 kilometres from St Petersburg. However, Formula 1 has previously terminated the F1 TV broadcasting contract of Match TV, while also blocking the availability of its F1 TV streaming service in Russia.

The Russian Federation’s actions have also had an impact on specific teams and drivers. The American Haas team then ended its partnership with Uralkali, which accounted for 20% of the stable’s budget. Haas also fired Nikita Mazepin and replaced him with Danish driver Kevin Magnussen.

In this case, however, it was not “only” a naked act of Russian aggression. The young driver’s father Dmitry Mazepin had, and still has, direct ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. And Haas, for political reasons, could not let that go.

To make matters worse, Formula 1 also said it had terminated its contract with the promoters of the Russian Grand Prix. This was after external and internal pressure, with drivers and teams openly stating that even if F1 did go to Russia, they would definitely not be racing there.

Well in a recent interview Domenicali said that there is now no room for the return of the Russian GP to the F1 calendar. What’s more, he announced that in fact they are not even considering any further negotiations.

I can promise you that there will be no more races in Russia

Formula 1 is currently enjoying a golden age, not only in terms of the racing itself, but also with regards to marketing efforts and overall fan interest. The Drive to Survive series on Netflix has no doubt also helped interest in F1, as it has brought the queen of motorsport to countries where it was not so popular.

One such country was the USA, where interest in F1 has grown enormously. The US is even set to host three grand prix in 2023.

Based on recent information, the Russians have been paying F1 $50 million a year since 2014 to keep the Russian Grand Prix on the World Championship calendar. That’s a really big chunk of money, however, after considering external factors, Domenicali decided that there is still no place for the Russian GP on the F1 calendar.

“I have always believed that you should never say never. But in this case I can promise with certainty – we will not deal with them again. There will be no more races in Russia,” Domenicali said in an interview with Germany’s Bild

But the chief promoter of the VC of Russia is grossly dissatisfied

Rosgonki was the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix. However, the boss Alexey Titov said in an interview with TASS that the Russians will want to return the money for the early termination of the contract with F1, as the debt to the company still exists and their position will not change.

“We expect the money to be refunded regardless of the current position of the Formula 1 management on holding races in the Russian Federation. The current situation in world sport is extremely politicized,” Titov said in that interview.

“Domenicali’s words should be taken in this context. What he said has strong political overtones that have nothing to do with the real spirit of sport. The future of our relationship today is really unclear. We will take Domenicali’s position into account in our future work,” he concluded.

Sources