F1 will not replace Russia; season to have 22 races
Formula One will not replace the cancelled Russian Grand Prix this year, meaning the current season will feature 22 races instead of a record 23.
Russia’s Sep. 25 race in Sochi was cancelled after the country’s military invasion of Ukraine in February.
The gap on the calendar had remained vacant since and the belief was F1 was keen to replace it with another event.
There had been speculation Singapore, the host of the following’s week’s event on Oct. 2, could fill the gap and hold two races across two weeks.
Several venues did similar to fill gaps in the schedule during F1’s 2020 season, held at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is understood F1 had interest from multiple potential hosts but opted against adding a new race due to the added costs of doing so.
European Union freight rules would have complicated any European option so close to a ‘flyaway’ race in Asia.
The size of the current schedule and concerns the workload another event would place on teams is believed to have been a mitigating factor in not finding a new host for that weekend.
Aside from August’s summer break, the two week gap between the Italian Grand Prix on Sep. 11 and the Singapore Grand Prix on Oct. 2 is now the longest break between races this season.
This season finishes earlier than normal as F1 was keen to avoid a clash with the World Cup. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will close the season on Nov. 20, a day before the opening game in Qatar.
F1 is set for 23 races next season, with Qatar returning as a host and the first ever Las Vegas Grand Prix joining for a night race on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Had it gone ahead, the 2022 race would have been the last held at the Sochi Autodrom.