The president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, is confident that the Formula 1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will take place, despite the current tensions in the Middle East.
Due to the conflict between the United States-Israel and Iran, the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled earlier this year, although the organizers in Bahrain effectively moved their postponed Grand Prix to Malaysia. Attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, currently being discussed by both sides while oil exports have drastically reduced, have continued.
Further conflict has arisen between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen; a missile attack at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resulted in the death of 13 people. Recently, the airport has reopened with limited service following the attacks, and the UK has recently promised to support Saudi Arabia with combat aircraft to defend against future Houthi attacks.
The proximity of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the current conflict zones has cast doubt on the two end-of-season races in the Middle East. However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stated a few weeks ago that maintaining the races remains the Championship’s Plan A, with an alternative plan to hold the season finale in Imola if tensions continue to escalate.
Conversations about the potential cancellation of the two races have diminished in recent weeks, and the championship seems poised to maintain both the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races. In MotoGP, teams have been informed that the rescheduled Qatar round will take place in November.
Speaking with selected media, including Motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem stated that he feels “confident” about the races for now, explaining that he would not leave his family residing in the Emirates if he felt it was unsafe to do so.
“They are fine. One thing I would say: I have my kids there – do you think I would leave them there if I am here now with you?”
“We have to be sensitive about this and ask ourselves, ‘will we have a problem?’ What is read in the media is very different from what we experience there. We read and see on television, but it is not like that there. Other reasons why I am there, you know? Why would I leave my family?
“But does this mean that nothing will happen? I can’t predict that. I can only tell you that today there is nothing and that both races will take place.
“I am happy [for the FIA team to go there]. Listen, I don’t think the FIA staff is more important to me than myself and my family, but if I am there, it means I feel safe doing so.
“But we don’t know, for now. As I said, the Dakar [Rally in Saudi Arabia], if we hear anything from them, we will adjust. When I say ‘them’, I refer to the Motorsport Federation in Saudi Arabia, and we will adjust to that and help.
“Like when we helped with Bahrain, that is, when it was requested that we not hold the event in Saudi Arabia, then there was another call from the Crown Prince of Bahrain to move it to Malaysia. The relationship was there and that sends a message that, despite all of this, we will continue to have motorsport.
Ben Sulayem added that the FIA has contingency measures prepared in case of any travel disruption, such as requesting assistance from local ASNs to find volunteers and officials to facilitate the conduct of the events.
He used the example of the Lebanese round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, which ultimately restarted this year’s series. This was customized by officials from Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan, before the Cyprus round concluded this year’s championship when the Saudi round was canceled.
“Of course, the FIA is always prepared. I told them to have another FIA team ready if nothing happened. But maybe some of the administrations say that travel cannot be done – so what do we do?
“If everyone is there, and the teams are there, and the FOM group is running it, and suddenly we say, oh, we can’t have our race director, we can’t have our officials. We need to be prepared, and we need to have another team ready in case it is needed.
“We also have the good sense here that we will never take our staff, drivers, or any officials to a place where we believe it is risky,” he concluded.
Ben Sulayem added that the outlook for the Dakar Rally 2027 is uncertain, but suggested it could be moved to Morocco if it is not possible to host the race in Saudi Arabia.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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