Qatar says it is still on course to host F1 and MotoGP this year
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation says “everything is a go-ahead” to host Formula 1 and MotoGP this season, despite growing uncertainty due to the Iran war.
Motorsport in the Middle East has been heavily disrupted this year due to the war between the US and Iran that broke out at the end of February.
While there have been periods of ceasefire in the region, uncertainty over upcoming events has continued.
F1 already had to move its Bahrain Grand Prix to Malaysia on the 2-4 October, while a decision is yet to be made on whether the Qatar race on 27-29 November and the Abu Dhabi finale a week later will run.
MotoGP is in a similar situation with its postponed Qatar Grand Prix, due for 6-8 November.
However, during the Aragon Grand Prix, reports surfaced that MotoGP was set to cancel its Qatar round without a replacement, bringing the calendar down from 22 rounds to 21.
With the US and Iran launching fresh strikes on each other on Monday, Qatar’s upcoming races face fresh uncertainty.
But the QMMF’s president, Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Latif Al Mannai, says it’s planning the races as normal.
“The plan is to have the race,” he said in a statement.
“We are up and running and preparing for MotoGP, and it’s the same with our discussions with Formula 1.
“Of course, there are things that we cannot predict. It’s difficult. We don’t know what’s going to happen.
“The situation has been fluid, even though it’s been really quiet so far. It depends on what happens in the next couple of months or so.
“For us, we cannot stop the plans. We have to be ready. We are taking it one step at a time to see the situation and assess. But so far, everything is good. Everything is a go-ahead.”
The FIA World Endurance Championship was the first major international series impacted by the conflict in the region, with its Prologue and season-opener in Qatar in March postponed.
