F1 | GP Russia, the controversy continues over the cancellation of the race in Sochi

Controversy continues over the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix on the Sochi track, a world event scheduled for the weekend of 23, 24 and 25 September. In a long interview granted to the Taas news agency, Alexander Vlasov, deputy governor of the Krasnodar region, pointed the finger at the sanctions inflicted by Formula 1 and Liberty Media on the Russian governance, specifying how the exclusion of the Sochi Autodrom from 2022 calendar goes against the healthy principles of equality and union of sport.

“The cancellation of the Sochi race is part of the unreasonable sanctions imposed on Russia to carry out Western politicians,” Vlasov said. “Sport has always been outside of political discussions and we don't understand why it's different now. Events of this kind unite people, countries and continents, whereas now we see a totally different approach, with the exclusion of our sports federations from all international events. I can promise fans that many more interesting races will take place in Sochi, with the support of the government and lovers of Russian car and motorcycle racing."