F1 ready with backup plan should Middle East races be cancelled
'So far, we don't have this sort of signal and we are hoping not. So I don't want to even think about it, mainly for the bigger picture and not for the racing itself, and in case of, we have a plan. But let's hope this will not be even thinkable.'
Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the last two races in a triple-header on successive weekends that starts with Las Vegas on November 22 with the cars then flown straight to the Middle East.
While weather conditions in December would make it tricky to host replacement races at some European tracks there are warmer options such as Portugal's Algarve circuit, which was used during the Covid-19 pandemic.
'Europe is big, the temperatures are quite mild in certain areas,' said Domenicali, who agreed one circuit might host both races. 'Definitely we cannot go in places where there will be snow.
'But I am not even thinking about that. We are not worried at all that this will have an effect on the championship.'
Formula One raced in Saudi Arabia in 2022 despite attacks launched by Yemen's Houthis on an oil facility near the Jeddah street circuit.
Domenicali said Formula One was there then because it was sure of the guarantees of safety but recognised situations could change fast.
'We need to be always ready and monitor the situation.'
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F1 ready with backup plan should Middle East races be cancelled
'To say something on that is difficult,' he replied when asked if he believed there was a real risk of the races not happening. 'So far, we don't have this sort of signal and we are hoping not. So I don't want to even think about it, mainly for the bigger picture and not for the racing itself, and in case of, we have a plan. But let's hope this will not be even thinkable.' Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the last two races in a triple-header on successive weekends that starts with Las Vegas on November 22 with the cars then flown straight to the Middle East. While weather conditions in December would make it tricky to host replacement races at some European tracks there are warmer options such as Portugal's Algarve circuit, which was used during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'Europe is big, the temperatures are quite mild in certain areas,' said Domenicali, who agreed one circuit might host both races. 'Definitely we cannot go in places where there will be snow. 'But I am not even thinking about that. We are not worried at all that this will have an effect on the championship.' Formula One raced in Saudi Arabia in 2022 despite attacks launched by Yemen's Houthis on an oil facility near the Jeddah street circuit. Domenicali said Formula One was there then because it was sure of the guarantees of safety but recognised situations could change fast. 'We need to be always ready and monitor the situation.'
