The FIA's stance on conflicts in the Middle East: 'Safety and well-being will guide our decisions'
porEditorial Team
Argentina
In a statement, the president of the entity, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, spoke about the escalation of conflicts in the region
The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East set off alarm bells in international motorsport and forced the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to review the upcoming dates in the region. With competitions scheduled for both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula 1 in the coming weeks, safety became the central focus of the
discussion.
The calendar marks the prologue of the WEC in Qatar at the end of March, while the Maxima is scheduled for the Bahrain Grand Prix (April 10 to 12) and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (17 to 19). In addition, support categories such as Formula 3 must also carry out activities in the area.
There was a bombing near the Bahrain circuit
Geopolitical tension has already had a direct impact: a joint test with Pirelli in Bahrain was suspended due to the threat of air strikes.
Added to this are logistical complications, since several airlines decided to avoid airspace in the region after there were bombings and attacks against targets in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
In this context, the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, published a statement in which he expressed his concern and made it clear that there will be no hasty decisions, but there will be constant monitoring of the situation. “As president of the FIA, my thoughts go out to everyone affected by recent events in the Middle East,” he said. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of human lives and we stand in solidarity with the affected families and communities
.” The statement from the president of the FIA
The leader remarked that the organization is in permanent contact with member clubs, promoters and teams, and stressed that "safety and well-being will be decisive factors in our decisions when evaluating the upcoming events scheduled there for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the FIA Formula 1 World Championship
”.
Although for now there are no official definitions of possible cancellations or transfers, uncertainty is installed. If conditions do not improve, the relocation of the dates to other available circuits, such as Imola (Italy), recently replaced by Madrid, or Portimao (Portugal), confirmed for the 2027 calendar, is not ruled
out.
For the time being, the FIA is keeping all options open while waiting for stability to return to the region and allow for the normal development of the planned competencies.
