BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 25: Zhou Guanyu of China driving the (24) Alfa Romeo F1 C42 Ferrari leads George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 and Alexander Albon of Thailand driving the (23) Williams FW44 Mercedes during Day Three of F1 Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 25, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
As per the initial F1 2022 calendar, the Russian Grand Prix was scheduled to take place this weekend on 25 September
F1 had planned to run a record 23-race season for 2022 before the Russian GP cancellation in February; While they were expected to replace, the sport has now decided to not fill September 25 date and there will be 22 races this year. The Russian GP was due to be the 17th race of the season on September 25, but was cancelled back in February following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The sport already has a tight calendar for the rest of the season and the Russian GP was set to kickstart one of the two triple headers after the summer break. F1 had planned to fill the slot to keep a record 23-race calendar – with Qatar and Turkey mooted as options – although the decision was eventually made not to replace the Sochi Autodrom event. There will now be a weekend break before a Singapore-Japan doubleheader.
One of the chief reasons for there being no replacement, despite plenty of options, is that a European round would not have been possible because of logistical issues around EU freight rules.
Red Bull continue dominate the drivers’ championship standings after Verstappen secured his fifth consecutive race win. Max Verstappen leads the standings with 335 points followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupies the second spot with 219 points while Sergio Perez lies in the third spot with 210 points – ahead of George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
In the constructors’ championship, Red Bull lead the table and are miles ahead of the chasing pack with 545 points. Ferrari are significantly behind in second place with 406 points. Mercedes are further behind – they occupy third place, having earned 371 points.
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