It is still unclear whether Formula 1 will race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi this year—but officials in Qatar itself emphasize that the race can take place
Will Formula 1 race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi this year or not? A decision is expected in the coming weeks, and if Qatar has its way, the premier class will travel to the emirate in November as planned.
“The plan is to hold the race,” says Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai, president of Qatar’s national motorsports federation, QMMF, and of the Lusail International Circuit. He emphasizes: “We are fully operational and preparing for the MotoGP, and the same applies to our discussions with Formula 1.”
The MotoGP is scheduled to take place in Qatar on November 8, with Formula 1 following just three weeks later. However, the situation in the region remains problematic. Iran and the U.S. have still not resolved their conflict, which is why rocket attacks continue to occur.
Al Mannai emphasizes, “Qatar has been safe for several months. Our airport is operating at 100 percent capacity, especially when it comes to transit flights between Asia and Europe. If you come to Qatar, you’ll see that things have returned to normal here.”
However, according to its own statements, Iran attacked U.S. targets in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain just this week. While Qatar itself was indeed not affected, even Al Mannai admits: “Of course, some things cannot be predicted. It’s difficult. We don’t know what will happen.”
“From our side, we can’t stop the preparations. We have to be ready. We’re proceeding step by step to monitor and assess the situation. But for now, everything is fine. Everything remains as planned,” he emphasizes.
“It will depend on what happens in the next two months or so,” he explains. The problem, however, is that Formula 1 doesn’t have that much time left to make a decision. After all, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi require a certain amount of lead time.
“For logistical reasons, we all need to make a decision together by September,” Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur recently explained. The time factor could therefore currently work against Qatar rather than in its favor.
If the two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi cannot take place at the end of the season, a season finale in Imola is currently being considered as a replacement.
