F1 chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali has issued an update on whether the organisation will reorganise the recently cancelled Saudi and Bahrain races ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
F1 returns this weekend after a five-week break due to the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Grands Prix, with both races initially set to take place in April.
Due to the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, F1 decided to cancel both races after “careful evaluations” concluded that it was not safe to hold the events in the region.
For now, the other Middle East races – in Qatar and Abu Dhabi – remain set to go ahead as planned, with both scheduled to take place in December.
Advert
While there have been suggestions that the Saudi race may be moved to later this year, F1 has not provided an official stance on the matter, although it would like all 24 races to go ahead if logistically possible.
In a wide-ranging interview with Bloomberg, F1 CEO Domenicali issued an update on the cancelled races and admitted that rescheduling both may prove difficult.
“I think rescheduling two events is already quite difficult,” Domenicali said.
“Our calendar is already quite full. We may recover one.”
Due to the intense heat in the Middle East during the summer months, any rescheduled races would likely be moved to later in the year.
Financial considerations will also be taken into account, with the conflict in the Middle East pushing up global fuel prices.
“Today, the biggest effect is not only the postponement of races in Bahrain and Jeddah, but also the cost of fuel and logistics, which is getting higher and higher,” he added.
In a separate interview with CNBC, he explained that F1 also has alternatives ready should the ongoing conflict impact the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races.
“But naturally, now we have to wait, because we still have the two races at the end of the year, namely Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” he continued.
“So, as you can imagine, we have to wait and see what happens.”
Deadline set for F1 reschedule decision
He then revealed that a decision will be made soon, with a deadline set.
“We have a deadline before which we must decide whether the situation will allow us to proceed,” Domenicali explained.
“We hope so, as you can imagine, for the sake of the bigger picture.
“But, on the other hand, it is our duty, as a global sport, to have an alternative plan ready. And that is what we have, naturally.”
Ahead of the Miami race, Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell lead the standings.
Topics: Formula 1
Luke Davies