The 2022 Russian Grand Prix has been cancelled by Formula One.

After a day of deliberation in which Max Verstappen expressed his concerns and Sebastian Vettel openly refused to compete in a race if it were held, Formula One has decided not to race in Russia this season.

Despite the ambiguity of their statement, RACER's Chris Medland reports that the event has been cancelled outright. It means that the Russian Grand Prix has come to an end after eight years at the Sochi Olympic Park, where a circuit was built as part of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The announcement leaves an open September date on the calendar, one that Formula One is far better positioned to fill than it was two seasons ago. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the series was forced to scramble and replace multiple open dates on the calendar in both 2020 and 2021. Extra races in England and Austria the week before traditional events were one option, but the choice to bring F1 racing back to qualified venues like Imola and Turkey that would otherwise not have a business case to run a full-time grand prix was more popular with fans. F1 has an unusually long lead time before the race's original date, giving it plenty of time to decide when and where it will take the season's open race.

In addition to the race being cancelled, Haas F1 is now racing in a plain white livery, removing the Russian flag-inspired elements that were introduced in 2021. The team is also not using any Uralkali branding until at least this weekend, leading to speculation that Uralkali-backed driver Nikita Mazepin's time with the team is coming to an end.