Earlier on Wednesday, the F1 organizers revealed that there will be 22 races this season after the cancellation of the Russian GP.
The Russian GP was expected to be the 17th race on the record 23-race calendar for the 2024 season. However, after confirming in February that the Russian GP would be cancelled, Formula 1 has now announced that there will be 22 races this season, and the Russian GP will not be replaced.
The F1 board and organizers had initially backed out of having the Russian GP due to the county’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. However, after the cancellation of the event in Russia, the board has now announced that the race will not be replaced. Instead, there will be 22 races this calendar year cutting down from the initial plan of 23 races.
The Russian GP was expected to take place on September 25th and there was initial speculation that Singapore or Qatar would fill the spot. Singapore is already on the schedule this year for October 2nd while Qatar decided not to host this season due to its commitment to the FIFA World Cup.
According to reports, the reason to cut short the race calendar was due to the logistical issues around EU freight rules. It would have also added further costs to the teams’ limited spending budget this year.
F1 action will return this weekend in Barcelona with the Spanish GP set to take place on May 22nd. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc currently leads the Drivers’ standings ahead of Max Verstappen.
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