FIA boss reveals firm stance on staging of Abu Dhabi and Qatar F1 races

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem insists the final two races of the Formula 1 season in Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December) will take place as planned.

Grand prix events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April were cancelled due to the US-Iran war and subsequent conflict in the Middle East. Over the summer, F1 revealed a mid-September deadline for making a call on the final two rounds, with Imola in Italy acting as a one-off back-up option for the first weekend in December.

That deadline then extended to mid-October, with F1 now telling personnel to move ahead as planned unless told otherwise. That being said, grandstands are being built at Imola in case of a change of circumstances.

In recent weeks, two container ships were sunk near the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by missiles while, separately, sites in Saudi Arabia have been targeted by the Yemeni separatist group the Houthis, with 13 people killed at Riyadh Airport.

As such, Emirati executive Ben Sulayem was asked whether Qatar and Abu Dhabi were "fine" to stage Formula 1 races. As reported by The Race , he replied: "Yeah, fine. One thing I would say: I have my children there [in the UAE]. You think I would leave them there and I'm here now with you [if it was dangerous]?

"You have to be sensible in this. Saying: 'Are we going to have an issue?' is one thing. But what you read in the media is actually different than what we have there.

"What we read and see on TV, we say, 'Where is it?' We don't have that, really. Otherwise why would I stay there? Why would I leave my family there?

"Does this say that there is nothing that is going to happen? I can't predict this. I can only tell you today that there is nothing and the two races are going to happen."

Questioned further on his comfortability in sending FIA staff to the region for events, Ben Sulayem replied: "I am happy, yes, of course. Listen, I don't think the FIA staff would be more important to me than myself or my family.

"But if I am there, it means I feel secure about this."

F1 president Stefano Domenicali has similarly indicated that plan A is for the sport to move full steam ahead with the scheduled finale to the season. Qatar and Abu Dhabi form the latter two races of a season-ending triple-header that starts in Las Vegas on 22 November.

The drivers' championship could be wrapped up before the season finale, however, with Kimi Antonelli close to securing his first title. The 20-year-old could claim the world championship this weekend at the US Grand Prix in Austin.