Europe to host Formula 1 finale if Iran war scuppers Qatar and Abu Dhabi plans
Europe will host the Formula 1 finale if the ongoing war in Iran scuppers planned Grands Prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Formula 1’s 24-race season had already taken a double hit, with races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain postponed indefinitely earlier this year. The Bahrain Grand Prix will now take place in Malaysia.
But the back-to-back season conclusion planned for Qatar and Abu Dhabi could be ruined by the continued conflict in the Middle East. A decision will be made in the autumn with the motorsport currently on its annual mid-season hiatus.
Formula 1 had discussed holding a second Las Vegas Grand Prix in the autumn but concerns surrounding clashes with the NFL led to a European conclusion being favoured.
“We don’t want to ruin, let me put it this way, a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there,” Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali said.
Formula 1 scuppered?
“For us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed,” he added. “By the way, they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problem that our world is living.
“But of course, if the situation will not be cleared the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September we will take the decision.
“If this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places.”
Next season’s calendar is set to see the season begin in Bahrain after two years in Australia, to accommodate Ramadan, while Madrid will join the calendar later this year.
Races in the likes of Vietnam, Thailand, Rwanda and South Africa have all been touted for the future as Formula 1 looks to see a more balanced global calendar.