The FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has stated that “safety and wellbeing” will be the determining factors for whether next month’s Middle Eastern Formula 1 rounds will go ahead.
Over the weekend, increasing tensions in the region, triggered by an American bombing of Iran, saw missile attacks strike a plethora of countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The two nations are set to host their respective Grands Prix in a double-header, on the weekends of the 10-12 and 17-19 April.
But the current situation has now led to severe doubts that the races will go ahead, with F1 saying it would “closely monitor” the situation.
Qatar, another country affected, is no doubtful of hosting the World Endurance Championship prologue and opening rounds, set for later this month.
Ben Sulayem, a United Arab Emirates native, is naturally connected to the events, and in a statement, said he was “deeply saddened” by the troubles, and indicated that the scheduled races will only go ahead if it is absolutely safe to do so.
Read the full statement below
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