Formula One has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix and confirmed there will no longer be an F1 race in the country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 2022 running of the event, set for September at the Olympic Park in Sochi, had already been cancelled last week and the sport is now cutting future ties with the country.
Nikita Mazepin, the only Russian driver in Formula One, is expected to be cut from his Haas team and replaced by reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi ahead of preseason testing in Bahrain, according to reports. Yesterday Mazepin was barred from competing at the British Grand Prix when Motorsport UK announced that no Russian or Belarusian athletes would be approved to enter motorsport competitions in the UK, and that no flags or anthems of those countries would be permitted at British events.
Meanwhile, the reigning world champion Max Verstappen has signed a new six-year contract to extend his stay at Red Bull until 2028. The Dutchman is understood to have been rewarded for his toppling of Lewis Hamilton with a pay packet to match, worth around £40m per year. Follow all the latest news and reaction below.
F1 news: Max Verstappen signs new Red Bull contract until end of 2028
The 24-year-old now joins the Briton on around £40 million per year as the highest earners in the sport, with his contract lasting until the end of the 2028 season. Verstappen had two years remaining on his previous deal.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 17:05
Drive to Survive review: F1 fans will be gripped by a series still way ahead of the pack
“Stay calm – we will get the f***ers.”
Barely a minute into season four of Drive to Survive and we’re all in. A compilation of crashes, expletives, explosions and wry smiles from some of the most recognisable faces on the planet, grimaces and sharp-tongued utterances from some of the richest people. The retelling of one of the most remarkable campaigns in all of sport has not even begun, and yet already the compulsion is to tell it to shut up and take our money.
On Friday, 11 March, Netflix will throw open the doors of Formula One’s 2021 season with the expectation that it will break the records set by the previous three. To have bared real-time witness to the rollercoaster that culminated in Max Verstappen’s maiden title in remarkable fashion was to have watched something very special. And throughout a year where the narrative turned just as sharply as the cars on the track, the anticipation of the newest offering of Drive to Survive was almost too great to comprehend.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 16:47
F1 news: Red Bull chief blames Lewis Hamilton for Michael Masi’s departure
Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has said that he believes Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour was partly the reason behind the removal of Michael Masi from the role of Formula 1 race director.
Masi was stripped of race directing duties after the FIA’s investigation into the controversial ending at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when Masi broke from precedent and allowed lapped cars between Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen to unlap themselves.
That allowed Verstappen to pass Hamilton on the final lap and take both race and Drivers’ Championship victory from the seven-time world champion.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 16:29
F1 news: Formula 1 terminates contract with Russian Grand Prix
Earlier today Formula confirmed that it has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix amid the continued invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Grand Prix had been set to move to St Petersburg next year, with Vladimir Putin closely associated with the race and reportedly key in bringing the sport to Russia for the first time in 2014.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 16:12
F1 news: ‘I think it could happen again’: Mercedes’ plan for Lewis Hamilton in 2022 predicted
Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert believes that 2022 could be the year that Lewis Hamilton wins his eighth F1 Drivers’ Championship.
Hamilton, currently level with Michael Schumacher on seven world titles, was denied the outright record in a controversial ending to the season in Abu Dhabi last year.
However Herbert suggested that he felt Mercedes actually over-achieved in 2021, despite Max Verstappen’s triumph.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 15:53
F1 news: Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admits team tried to influence FIA in Abu Dhabi
Red Bull advisor and head of their driver development programme Helmut Marko has admitted that the team tried to influence the FIA “massively” during the end-of-season controversy in Abu Dhabi late last year.
However, Marko pointed out that Mercedes were also guilty of trying to exert their influence as the dramatic battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to decide the destination of the title played out.
Then-race director Michael Masi infamously made a call that ultimately favoured Verstappen and the Red Bull driver claimed the Drivers’ Championship in the most dramatic of fashions.
And Marko told RTL Deutschland that as he was making his decision, there was pressure being put on Masi over the race radio “admittedly from us and Mercedes massively”.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 15:37
F1 news: Banning Russia from sport is ‘unfair’, former F1 driver claims
Former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat has claimed it is “unfair” to ban Russian athletes and teams from international sport as Nikita Mazepin’s future at Haas remains in the balance.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 15:21
F1 news: Sebastian Vettel weighs in Russia’s war in Ukraine
Like many Europeans and people around the world, four time Formula 1 champions Sebastian Vettel is astonished by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and it is his belief that Russian leaders are “possessed by madness.”
Vettel announced last week he would boycott the planned Russian Grand Prix in September but Formula 1 have today terminated their contract with Russia and will not race in the country for the foreseeable future.
Vettel is in favour of these actions and speaking out when he sees injustices despite always being told not to weigh in on political issues as an athlete. He said:
Michael Jones3 March 2022 15:03
F1 news: When is Bahrain testing? All you need to know ahead of 2022 F1 season
F1 pre-season testing is under way ahead of the 2022 season, with two sessions of three days taking place across Spain and Bahrain in February and March.
There was no TV coverage or fan attendance at the opening testing weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, where Lewis Hamilton went quickest overall in his first appearance since that controversial finale in Abu Dhabi last year.
But the second pre-season testing session in Bahrain ahead of the opening weekend of the season will have TV coverage and fans in attendance.
Michael Jones3 March 2022 14:50
F1 news: “We have not seen the best of him yet.” says Verstappen’s manager
Max Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen says the 24-year-old world champion will continue to improve after signing a bumper contract keeping him at Red Bull Racing until 2028.
The 2021 season ended in unforgettable fashion for Verstappen, who overtook rival Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the final race to end an epic title fight on top.
This year Verstappen is looking to become only the 11th man in history to win back-to-back championships and his manager believes that goal is certainly achievable.
Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, Vermeulen said: “Red Bull’s plans for the future look very good. When I see the fighting spirit within the team, it suits us perfectly,” said Vermeulen.
“Formula 1 is entering a new period, it is not crazy to think about the long term. Red Bull’s vision goes further than the first races of the coming season. We know exactly what is coming and who is in. The team occupy the top positions. The situation feels extremely happy.
“We must also not forget that Red Bull has offered Max an F1 contract at the age of 16 and has prepared him well,” his manager continued. Of course, there have been discussions, but how it went, in the end, couldn’t have been better.
“I think the curve is not over. Max is still in a moment of growth. We have not seen the best of him yet.”
Michael Jones3 March 2022 14:35