Russia has been trying hard to host a Formula One Grand Prix race for quite some time now. After aggressive and rigorous campaigning for thirty years, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the head of the Krasnodarsky Krai Development Technologies Sharing Centre signed an agreement with the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the witness, for the race to be conducted in the Russian city of Sochi.
Everything was apparently going on smoothly and with the construction of Sochi International Street Circuit going on in full swing, a Russian Grand Prix was well on the cards. There were even rumours of Russia planning to host two races with Moscow as the other venue.
Russia have been so enthusiastic about the development that a bunch of Russian investors decided to bail out the financially ailing Formula One team Sauber with a condition that a young Russian boy named Sergey Sirotkin, who turned 18 this August be given a driver’s seat in the team for next season. The deal received much flak from experts, including current drivers.
However, the latest developments have not been very positive for those who are eager to witness a Russian Grand Prix. The Russian Automobile Federation (RAF) recently announced that they have missed the deadline to submit the application to host the event next year to the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA), the governing body of Formula One. It is mandatory that every organiser submit an application to the FIA to host a race at their venue for a particular season, so that the FIA can allot a slot on the calendar.
There have been reports of infighting within the Russian authorities, with the RAF and the race promoters being locked in a dispute regarding financial issues. It now seems that the Russians so far have failed to reach to an agreement and that has played a spoilsport in the country’s effort to find itself in the race calendar next year.
The damage has been done and the blame game has already started with both the warring parties putting the blame on each other. The Russian GP is in doubt and the authorities need to set their house in order first, if they are to convince the FIA and the Formula One fans that they are ready to successfully organise a Grand Prix.
The biggest challenge for the authorities at the moment, is to submit the application to the FIA. It won’t be easy since the deadline is already over. As for now, the only possible option seems to be for the organisers to convince the FIA that there was a ‘force majeure’ reason for missing the deadline.
The term ‘force majeure’ is used in contracts and agreements to signify that the terms and conditions mentioned in the deal could not be met due to unavoidable circumstances such as a strike or a war, or due to natural forces such as a natural calamity.
The definition of the terminology itself suggests that the FIA will not be easily convinced of the ‘force majeure’ theory, since financial disputes very clearly do no fall under ‘unavoidable’ circumstances. The clash between the authorities seems to have jeopardised the common objective itself.
Will Russia have to wait longer to witness a race on their soil? Only time will tell.
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