Russia excluded from F1 due to war, but not Azerbaijan, Qatar or Saudi Arabia
Russia was excluded from the championship after its invasion of Ukraine. But F1 remains silent on Azerbaijan's war with Armenia, Qatar's harboring of Hamas representatives and Saudi Arabia's conflict with Yemeni rebels.
Russia had hosted the premier category of motor sport in 2014, in Sochi, after having organized two car races in 1913 and 1914 in Saint Petersburg. In ten editions, Mercedes and its ancestor Benz Cie have always prevailed. The country of Vladimir Putin relied on sport as a tool of soft power. In addition to F1, Russia had hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi and the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
The cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix following the invasion of Ukraine
Initially, the former Soviet bloc country had a contract with F1 until 2025. Igora Drive, 50 kilometers from St. Petersburg, was even set to replace Sochi from 2023. But on February 24, 2022, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. European and global sanctions against the country began to fall and the question of participating in a Grand Prix in a country invading another disturbed the actors of this sport.
Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel very quickly stated that they did not want to participate due to the conflict. The day after the Russian attack, the Grand Prix scheduled for September 25, 2022 is canceled. The FIA and Liberty Media confirmed via a press release that: « The FIA Formula 1 World Championship goes to all the countries of the world with a positive vision to unite peoples and bring together nations. »
« We observe the events in Ukraine with sadness and shock, hoping for a resolution leading to peace regarding the current situation. On Thursday evening, F1, the FIA and the teams discussed the position to be adopted for the discipline and the conclusion is, also taking into account the opinion of the stakeholders concerned, that it is impossible to organize the Russian Grand Prix under these circumstances », can also be read in the statement.
Azerbaijan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are not being questioned
With this decision, F1 has taken a stance against global conflicts. However, the schedule contains some contradictions with the sanctions against Russia. Azerbaijan has been in F1 since 2016 and the country is openly at war with its Armenian neighbor, with the main reason being control of the Upper Karabakh region.
This race in the streets of Baku has never been questioned despite this conflict between the two countries, likewise for the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Qatar hosts representatives of the Hamas terrorist group, a faction that attacked Israel on October 7th.
Saudi Arabia was bombed by Yemeni Houthi rebels at one of its oil depots, 10 kilometers from the Jeddah circuit, during the Grand Prix 2022 weekend. The race was held despite the opposition of the drivers. During the 2021 ePrix in Dariya, a ballistic missile, launched by the Yemeni rebels, was intercepted a few cables from the course.
