Sergei Grits/AP Photo
Formula One announced on Thursday that it “terminated” its contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix.
“It means that Russia will no longer have a race in the future,” the sport said in a statement. The move comes on the heels of this year's Russian Grand Prix being canceled amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. FIA. The governing body of Formula One, announced earlier this week that the reason for canceling the event was because of “force majeure.”
But that was not the only move FIA made in light of the Russia-Ukraine war. It decided to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers to compete under a neutral flag, which is different than the IOC's recommendation for all sports to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition.
Meanwhile, Motorsport UK made the decision on Wednesday to ban Russian and Belarusian license holders from competing in the United Kingdom.
“The entire Motorsport UK community condemns the acts of war by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity and support towards all those affected by the ongoing conflict,“ David Richards CBE, who is the chair of Motorsport UK, said in a statement. “We stand united with the people of Ukraine and the motorsport community following the invasion and the unacceptable actions that have unfolded.
“This is a time for the international motorsport community to act and show support for the people of Ukraine and our colleagues at the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU).”
