A new race in the Middle East is likely to replace the Russian Grand Prix


A new race in the Middle East is likely to replace the Russian Grand Prix

The aftermath of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has been felt all over the world in all arenas including the sports world. From immediate decisions taken by FIFA and UEFA to ban the Russian teams until further notice to Haas dismissing its primary sponsor Uralkali, a Russian company, a lot has happened over the course of the past few days since Vladimir Putin ordered a Russian invasion in Ukraine.

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Haas was prompt to remove Uralkali from their sponsors but is currently facing a major dilemma in deciding Russian driver Nikita Mazepin’s future as a Haas driver and as an F1 driver. Mazepin is the son of Dmitry, the owner of Haas’ former sponsor Uralkali.

FIA took a swift decision to scrap off the Russian Grand Prix from the calendar this season. The Sochi race was supposed to take place in September in the later half of the year. Formula One heads are still keeping a close tab on the entire Russia-Ukraine situation. But they’re absolutely certain that the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi simply cannot take place this season.

Middle-Eastern race on the calendar

The Russian Grand Prix
The Russian Grand Prix

There have been reports that Formula One is looking for a possible replacement to the Russian Grand Prix. A Middle Eastern Grand Prix could very well be on the calendars if Formula One is still trying to hold 23 races in total for the 2022 season.

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This season already has 3 Middle Eastern races in store, namely the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Qatar Grand Prix will be back on the calendar in 2023 after an encroachment in 2021.

Qatar has also been one of the speculated favourites to replace the Russian Grand Prix. There had been an exceptional case in the 2020 season when an additional race took place in the Outer Loop of the Bahrain International Circuit.

Also Read: IOC set to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions, will Formula One impose a ban on Nikita Mazepin?