BERLIN, Oct 3 — Formula One is not planning to modify its calendar again due to the conflict in West Asia and the season is expected to end in Abu Dhabi as originally scheduled, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports Italia on Saturday, reported German news agency dpa.
According to Domenicali, the races in Qatar on November 29 and Abu Dhabi on December 6 will take place as planned, and arrangements to end the year in Imola are off the table for now.
“This is the course we have set based on the information and assurances we have received. We will continue to follow this strategy through the end of the year,” Domenicali told Sky Sport Italia on the sidelines of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told German broadcaster Sky that the teams are preparing accordingly and that “right now, all lights are green.”
However, he stressed that the situation is very volatile and that they need to keep an eye on it.
Earlier this year, F1 was forced to cancel the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP due to the conflict in the Middle East.
While the Saudi Arabian GP was not reinstated, the Bahrain GP was rescheduled and relocated to the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this weekend.
For F1, there’s a lot of money at stake as Qatar and Abu Dhabi pay hefty fees to be part of the race calendar. — Bernama-dpa
