FILE–Aston Martin’s German driver Sebastian Vettel steers his car during the second practice session for the Formula One Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom circuit in Sochi on September 24, 2021. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / AFP)
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the sport has no plans to hold future races in Russia.
The Russian Grand Prix was scheduled to be held in Sochi this year before moving to Igora Drive in St. Petersburg in 2023, but F1 canceled the race after Russia invaded Ukraine. And Domenicali said the sport has no intention of returning to the country.
“I’ve always believed that you should never say never,” Domenicali told Sport Bild magazine, per GrandPrix.com. “But in this case, I can promise for sure — we will no longer negotiate with them.
“There will be no more racing in Russia.”
Alexey Titov, the CEO of Russian GP promoter ANO Rosgonki, said he expects F1 to refund payments made following the cancellation of this year’s race.
“This debt exists, it is confirmed and our position on it is unchanged,” Titov told Russian news agency Tass. “We expect a refund regardless of the current position of Formula One Management in relation to holding races in the Russian Federation.
“The current situation in world sports is extremely politicized. It is necessary to take Domenicali’s words here with this in mind. What he said has a pronounced political connotation that has nothing to do with the real spirit of sports.
“The future of our relations today is really unclear. We will take Domenicali’s position into account in our further work.”
This is the first year since 2014 that a race has not been held at the Sochi Autodrom, with Mercedes having won every race to date.