FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is confident that the Formula 1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will go ahead, despite escalating tensions in the Middle East. The conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran has already forced the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races earlier this year, although the Bahraini organisers moved their postponed grand prix to Malaysia.
Ship attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have continued, with oil exports slowing dramatically. Separately, conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen escalated when a missile attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed 13 people. The airport has reopened with limited service, and the UK has pledged fighter jets to help Saudi Arabia defend against further Houthi assaults.
Because Qatar and the United Arab Emirates lie close to these conflict zones, the two season-ending races were in doubt. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had earlier said retaining the races remained Plan A, with Imola as a back-up should tensions keep rising. Talks about cancelling both races have dwindled, and the championship appears set to keep Qatar and Abu Dhabi on the calendar. MotoGP has also told teams that its rescheduled Qatar round will go ahead in November.
Speaking to selected media, Ben Sulayem said he feels "secure" about the races, noting that he would not keep his children in the Emirates if he felt it was unsafe. He acknowledged he cannot predict what will happen, but said the FIA has contingency plans, including relying on local national sporting authorities for volunteers and officials, as it did for the Lebanese round of the Middle East Rally Championship.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing