The Russian GP has been cancelled permanently

The Russian Grand Prix has been permanently removed from the F1 calendar, less than a week after the 2022 edition of the race was cancelled following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The event had been held in Sochi every year since 2014 and was set to move to St Petersburg in 2023, but this will no longer take place.

Last week several F1 drivers - most notably Sebastian Vettel and reigning champion Max Verstappen - said the race should not go ahead as a result of the conflict.

Since then virtually all global sports organisations have been forced to announce measures to curtail the involvement of Russian competitors and teams.

Just yesterday the FIA announced that drivers from Russia and Belarus - which has also reportedly deployed forces in Ukraine - would have to compete in a “neutral capacity under the ‘FIA flag’”. But hours later Motorsport UK - the governing body for motorsport on these shores - announced that it would no longer recognise licences issued by the Russian or Belarus Automobile Federations.

The move effectively bans Haas driver Nikita Mazepin from taking part in the British Grand Prix, and it has been reported that other national bodies are considering similar measures.

Mazepin’s seat at Haas is heavily reliant on financial backing from Russian oil company Uralkali, branding for which was removed from the team’s car and garage for the final day of F1’s first pre-season test in Barcelona last week.