The promoter of the Russian Grand Prix sues Formula 1 in the London court. After the cancellation of the races due to the invasion of Ukraine, he requests £ 50 million. He claims to be a political decision.
Formula 1 awaits a great legal battle. The promoter of the Russian Grand Prix, Rosgonki, filed a lawsuit against Formula One World Championship Limited in London.
According to the Russian party, a company that owns and runs commercial rights to the championship has violated the contract in Russia by the abolition of plants. Therefore, they require a replacement of £ 50 million, or about 1.5 billion crowns.
The dispute is dealt with by the King’s Bench Division (King’s Bench Division). The submission was confirmed by the Russian agency TASS with reference to the British press.
There is a fee for 2022 in the center of the dispute. The race was to be held in Sochi for the last time before moving to the new Igor Drive area near St. Petersburg since the 2023 season.
Formula 1, however, canceled the race and shortly afterwards the contract terminated. In an official statement of March 2022, she stated: “We terminated the contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix.”
The head of the championship Stefano Domenicali added an even clearer message: “In this case, I can promise one – we will not deal with them anymore. There will be no races in Russia,” he said a few months later.
These words are now returning like a boomerang. Rosgonki claims that the sport has been “politicized”.
The Russians argue that the fee for 2022 has already been paid and was to be returned regardless of the geopolitical situation. “This debt exists, it is confirmed and our position does not change. We expect a full refund,” said Alexei Titov, a long -time face of the Russian Grand Prix promoter.
At the same time, he added that the F1 leadership has “a distinctive political undertone”. This is where the Russian side is building – claiming that there has been a violation of the contract and that the decision was politically motivated.
The whole project was long -term. From 2014 to 2021 it was used in Sochi, then the company was to go to Igor Drive – the new area north of St. Petersburg.
After the invasion of Ukraine, however, Formula 1 first canceled the race and then ended the contract. Due to sanctions against Russia, Igora Drive, designed according to the Grand Prix parameters, remained for home events.
The formulation of the so -called force majeure and setting conditions for returning fees in emergencies will be crucial.
Formula 1 representatives have repeatedly argued that it is not possible to organize races in Russia due to the invasion and sanctions and that the series does not intend to return to the country.
On the contrary, the Russian promoter claims that the money must be returned and that the F1 decision was beyond the boundary of sports assessment. Who is right will decide the High Court in London.
This court shows how strongly the world of top sport is intertwined with global policy and sanctions.
For Formula 1, IO is reputation. Domenicali’s “never” is a clear moral opinion, but at the same time a potential weapon in the hands of the counterparty. It can say that it was not a sporting decision, but a definitive political gesture.
There are £ 50 million in the game and a possible precedent, which can be careful carefully by other organizers of large events.
