Motorsports
Drivers agree to cancel Sochi GP, Russians insist
A majority of Formula One drivers approve of the sport’s decision to cancel this year’s Russian Grand Prix following the country’s military invasion of neighboring Ukraine – but organizers of the Sochi race insist it can be held normally at the end of September .
A day after war broke out in Ukraine, Formula One announced this morning its decision to scrap the Russian GP, which was scheduled for September 23-25, from this year’s programme. This was preceded by the statement by Sebastian Vettel on Thursday (February 24th) that he would not be playing in Sochi this year, and by champion Max Ferstappen that ““When a country is at war, it is not right to go there.”
The F1 decision was welcomed by the sporting community and the drivers present at today’s press conference at Barcelona winter testing fully agreed with the F1 decision, saying in unison: “hope and pray for Ukraine.”
Although F1 announced that it had terminated its contract with the Russian GP organizers and the latter confirmed this, the organizer of the Sochi race – the company “Rosgonki” – advised spectators who have already bought tickets to still claim their money back – there “It is still possible that the game will take place as it was already planned.. In fact, GP tickets are still available online.
We remind you that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally supports the struggle in Sochi and has been on the podium for the award several times in the past. Already, with the city’s route across the Black Sea, Turkey seems to be the favorite to fill the race.
However, the drivers have no doubts about the F1 decision, which they have wholeheartedly supported. “We live in a crazy world. “Innocent people are losing their lives, people are losing their homes and families and they have no safe place to stay. This is all wrong.”Alfa Romeo’s Valteri Botas said after Vettel’s comments yesterday.
The Finn continued: “We can only hope that everything will be resolved with the best possible outcome. At the moment I think it’s her right decision F1 do not go to Russia. “It’s so difficult to predict how things will develop over the coming months so I’m sure all drivers will agree with this decision.”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainte stressed: “Personally, I would find it very difficult to get on a plane and land in a country at war. I’m glad everything has been canceled for now. “Now we can focus on the season and pray and hope it all resolves soon.”
And Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll continued: “These are very scary moments. We have to pray and hope things are going well but it’s very hard to see that. F1 has undoubtedly made the right decision. We can’t go to Russia now.” And Mick Schumacher von Haas concluded: “The war has started and it affects us all. I am personally very sad to see this. “We all have to hope and pray for Ukraine.”
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
2025 Formula 1 champion Lando Norris admitted that private messages and personal meetings with legends such as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and four-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner played an important role in the championship fight.
Norris has spoken about the support he has received ahead of the decisive stages of the season.
“I have received so many powerful words of encouragement, messages and speeches from incredible people who are world champions in a variety of sports, from Lewis, Seb and many more.
Many people don’t know that I communicate with Seb. Some, especially Casey Stoner, wrote me a quick message just when I needed it most: “Think about this, believe in yourself, do this, do that.” That really helped me get back on track.”
Norris’ title chances were in serious jeopardy following the recent rise of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. However, McLaren’s successful strategy in Abu Dhabi on the final stage of the season allowed the Briton to finish third at the Yas Marina Circuit and formalize the championship title.
An important component of success was the pilot’s psychological resilience. Norris made mistakes throughout the 2025 season that could have cost him the title, but he managed to withstand the pressure while his teammate Oscar Piastri succumbed to the pressure at key moments of the season.
Norris concluded: “When you win the championship by just two points, I’m sure that the faith and support of the people around me brought me these two points. That’s why I’m grateful to everyone, because sometimes you only need two points to win the championship.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
McLaren pilot Oscar Piastri said that he was approaching the 2026 season with double motivation after winning his first Formula 1 championship and losing to his teammate Lando Norris.
While the Australian pilot completed the unsuccessful second half of the season in third place in the general classification, 13 points behind Norris, he gained a 34-point advantage after the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
After the Dutch stage, it appeared that the situation was completely under Piastri’s control. But a crash in Azerbaijan, as well as a series of poor performances in Austin, Mexico City and Brazil, slowly destroyed his title ambitions.
As a result, although the Australian player regained the pace he showed at the beginning of the championship at the end of the season, he did not have enough distance to close the gap in the final stages in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
While McLaren attributes Piastri’s difficulties primarily to tracks with low grip, at other tracks the driver has traditionally looked much stronger.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title, Piastri gained valuable experience against Norris and Max Verstappen, giving him confidence ahead of attacking the title again in 2026.
“I’m just hungry and ready for it. Of course, I’m waiting for a few weeks to get some rest and not think about racing.”
However, many new things await us when we return to work; significant changes to cars and engines.
You never know how you’re going to start the season with such a big update to the rules, but I trust the people around me.
“Personally, he has a lot of confidence in me this season; I’m ready to use this experience in 2026, regardless of the car.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
MotoGP Ducati coach Gigi Dall’Igna: “Marc Marquez’s limitation was that he took risks that were unnecessary”
Gigi Dall’Igna He was one of the men who put his hand in the fire when he made the decision. Marc Marquez instead of Jorge Martin as a friend Pecco Bagnaia inside the box ducati official. But just one year later he was proven right. The Cervera native returned to the top of the motorcycling world with a landslide victory in the Desmosedici GP25.
Indeed, in recognition of this return to the top, DAZN released the documentary Volver, in which Ducati’s sports director reflects on the fact that Marc always pushes himself to the limit. Even when you don’t need to. And Dariña sees this as one of Marc Márquez’s few weaknesses thus far.
”His limitation is that he may take risks even when it is not necessary. If there had been a little more clarity, for example, some mistakes could have been avoided at some point,” Dall’Iña argued.
In this sense he also said: Marco RigamontiHe made his debut as a truck engineer for Marquez in 2025. For Italians, this exploration of boundaries is a trait that has brought them great success in the past.
“He always said this.I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything.. It shows on the track as he always pushes the bike to the maximum and always tries. He is not afraid to make decisions that go against the flow.. Moreover, he knows that if he makes a choice at the last moment that surprises the other drivers, it could give him an advantage,” Rigamonti said.
After becoming champion, Marquez was involved in an accident at the Indonesian Grand Prix and was forced to undergo surgery to recover from a shoulder blade injury. Just a few days ago, he was able to get back on a flat track motorcycle and is currently continuing to heal his right shoulder.
The goal, as Marc himself has reiterated both actively and passively, is to take part in the February test at Sepang. He doesn’t want to miss the start of the 2026 preseason.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
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