Russian GP Sues F1 for Unsettled Payment
Aug.27 - The promoters of Formula 1's axed Russian Grand Prix have launched legal action against the sport's commercial rights holder in the UK High Court.
According to the state-owned Tass news agency, Rosgonki - the company that organised the Sochi race - is seeking repayment of its pre-paid 2022 fee, believed to be the equivalent of around 50 million pounds.
F1 axed the Vladimir Putin-backed event in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Tass reports that while Formula 1 acknowledges the debt, the funds remain frozen under international sanctions.
Rosgonki CEO Irina Aurenius confirmed that negotiations had failed. "Formula 1 is not taking any action to repay the debt in good faith, in connection with which it was decided to seek the return of funds through the judicial and legal system of Great Britain," she told Tass.
"At this stage, we are not ready to comment on the details of the claim, including the amount."
Rosgonki also accuses Formula 1 of politicising the sport by cancelling the race, which was set to move from Sochi to a new venue in St Petersburg from 2023.
2 F1 Fan comments on “Russian GP Sues F1 for Unsettled Payment”
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A lawsuit, really? Roughly three & half months after the invasion began, not that this excessively belated attempt will prevail anyway, since the cancellations of all Russian GPs that would’ve otherwise taken place were fully justified, especially as F1 would’ve lost most crucially all of its drivers & teams had they put money over morals in this special matter by continuing to hold the Russian GP.
Two words---Sanctions+Frozen