With this decision, the top flight will have a gap of two raceless weekends between the end of the European season in Monza (on September 11) and the start of the next series of events in Singapore (on October 2).
The Sochi race was cancelled, along with the contract linking them to Formula 1 for the next few years, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. And the series’ top officials immediately began looking for replacements in a bid to maintain the record-setting schedule of 23 grands prix in 2022.
One of the first candidates was Qatar, which already hosted an F1 race last year in Doha, and will return to the calendar in 2023 after having made the decision not to be present in 2022 due to its commitment to the World Cup. from FIFA .
Initially they thought the vacant September date was early enough to avoid a clash with World Cup preparations, but some concerns remained about the extreme heat in the area at that time of year.
During the Melbourne weekend there was also the possibility of a second race in Singapore, possibly being held at an earlier time to distinguish itself.
Europe had also sounded, with interest from Hockenheim, who offered to host the return of the German GP at a price that was reasonable for all parties.
However, logistical problems meant that it was impossible for the Great Circus to move directly from Germany to Singapore.
The key to any of these deals was funding. F1 is in a very different situation right now than it was in the last two years, when some circuits were hosting races at much cheaper or even free fees due to the impact of COVID-19 .
Given the general level of inflation seen around the world and the dramatic increases in transportation costs, replacing Russia with a new venue should have made financial sense for both the teams and the sport itself.
Ultimately, none of the options fit what all parties needed, and F1 decided not to replace the Sochi event, leaving the schedule at 22 grands prix.
Such confirmation will be welcomed by the teams, who are faced with the challenge of staying under the budget cap while developing their new cars on a schedule that will continue to be hectic.
