Martin Trenkler
Formula 1 will head into the final part of the season with some trepidation. On Tuesday afternoon, it abandoned its contingency plan and informed Imola that it could halt its preparations. The final races of the season will therefore either take place in the Middle East or be cancelled altogether.
Preparatory work at Imola, funded by commercial rights holders Liberty Media, began several weeks ago. It was Formula 1’s fallback option should the security situation in the Middle East deteriorate.
However, a final decision on where the races would take place could not be postponed indefinitely. The deadline was 10 November, when Imola needed a definitive answer on whether to press ahead with the work — preparing the facilities and grandstands can take several weeks. If the season were to conclude in Italy, it would have been high time to launch ticket sales and notify teams not to send their equipment to the Middle East.
“Imola was only an option in the event we made a decision not to go to the Middle East at the end of the season and would have taken place on the Abu Dhabi weekend,” said a Formula 1 spokesperson. “We have constantly said the Middle East was the plan, so none of this is really news or should be a surprise. We cannot let Imola wait indefinitely. Therefore, we have informed them today that we will not require them at the end of the season.”
Formula 1’s management appears to have taken encouragement from the weekend’s MotoGP event in Qatar, which ultimately went ahead without putting participants at risk. F1 will be hoping that the situation in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remains stable. If the worst were to happen, the season would end prematurely with the race in Las Vegas.
Liberty Media would risk losing around 100 million in race hosting fees and paddock revenue, not to mention broadcasting rights. Broadcasters are guaranteed at least 22 grands prix. If Qatar and Abu Dhabi were cancelled, this year’s calendar would feature just 21 races.
“Nothing has negatively developed in the region and specifically in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in recent months,” the F1 spokesperson continued. “Travel advice still allows travel, travel insurance is valid, events are taking place (eg Moto GP last weekend in Qatar), and business has returned to a normal level in both countries, and the teams are all supportive of concluding the season as planned.”
Formula 1 recognises that, in the worst-case scenario, it will have to swallow the bitter pill and abandon the races. “If the situation develops negatively in the coming weeks before the events in the Middle East, we will not hesitate to do the right thing, and the safety of everyone will always be the priority.”
