F1 2022: Formula One terminates contract with Russia after Ukraine invasion
March 03, 2022 17:46 ISTF1 already canceled this year’s race, which had been scheduled to be held in Sochi on Sept. 25.
F1 already canceled this year’s race, which had been scheduled to be held in Sochi on Sept. 25.
The 24-year-old Dutch was rewarded on Thursday for beating Lewis Hamilton to win his first world championship last year, with another five years added on the contract that ran through 2023.
Unlike many international sporting federations, the FIA move is not fully in line with the International Olympic Committee's push to ban all Russian athletes and officials' participation in tournaments and competitions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation," F1 said in a statement Friday.
Haas' driving lineup includes Nikita Mazepin, the only Russian driver on the Formula One grid this season. Its decision to drop the sponsor came a day after four-time champion Sebastian Vettel said he would not race at the Russian Grand Prix in September because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It will be the first three-day preseason session, beginning on Wednesday, following one of the biggest regulation changes in the series, and the first time drivers and teams will get a real feel about what to expect in 2022.
Ahead of the 2022 campaign, which will feature new cars built to revolutionary new rules, Williams released images of a predominantly blue livery, with hints of red, on a stock showcar.
The 26-year-old Canadian was threatened after his late crash in the season-ending race in 2021 turned pivotal in helping Verstappen snatch the world title from Hamilton.
On Monday, after a meeting in London, the F1 Commission approved proposed updates to the Sporting Regulations regarding how points will be distributed when the race distance is not completed.
The three Grands Prix to hold sprint races are Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring and Brazilian GP at Interlagos.
The FW44, as the team's new challenger is set to be called, will be shown off in a digital event on February 15 at 1300 GMT (6:30 PM IST).
Hamilton wrote on social media: 'I've been gone. Now I'm back!'
The oft-used Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the outskirts of Barcelona will host the first test from February 22-25.
Alpine will pull the covers off the new car A522 on February 21, two days before the first pre-season track session of the year at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya begins on February 23.
The Bahrain GP will be followed by another race in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia's capital Jiddah (March 25-27) in a 23-race season.
Latifi added that people are blaming him for deciding the outcome of the F1 title race after his late crash at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix led to Max Verstappen defeating Lewis Hamilton in a dramatic fashion on the last lap.
Max Verstappen, who won the F1 title in the last lap of the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi last Sunday, was officially presented with the champion's trophy.
The FIA said Sunday's title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had created a controversy that is “tarnishing the image of the championship.”
Lewis became just the fourth F1 driver to receive the honour after Sir Jackie Stewart in 2001, Sir Stirling Moss in 2000, and Sir Jack Brabham in 1979.
Verstappen revealed his right leg was cramping in the crucial moment that saw him clinch victory.
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