Just yesterday, I wrote about the FIA monitoring the situation in the Middle East, given that several major races are coming up in the area: the WEC 1,812km of Qatar on March 26, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Bahrain two weeks later, followed by the F1 Saudi Arabian GP the weekend after. The former won’t be happening, the FIA confirmed today. With these races so close together, I believe it’s fair to expect an imminent announcement about the other two.
“In light of the current and evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East. With the safety and security of competitors, personnel and fans of the utmost importance, the decision has been taken to delay the event that had been due to take place on 26-28 March. Following further discussions with our colleagues at Lusail International Circuit, a new date for the Qatar 1812km during the second half of the campaign will be finalised and communicated in due course,” the FIA’s statement read.
This effectively makes the 6 Hours of Imola the first race of the year, which will take place April 17-19.
Should F1 follow suit, as it likely will, there wouldn’t be any racing in April, and the circus would race in China in the middle of March, and skip to Miami at the beginning of May. Unlike WEC’s Qatar race, it would be extremely unlikely to reschedule the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races at some point in the year, as the season already runs through the first week of December. The only option would be to do away with the mandatory summer break, but the extreme temperatures in the Middle East at that time of year would likely make that option unfeasible.
It’s worth mentioning that MotoGP is also scheduled to race in Qatar early April, so that will surely get scrapped too, though MotoGP isn’t sanctioned by the FIA.
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