Formula One bosses have no plans to cancel the upcoming races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, according to reports, despite the controversy surrounding MotoGP. The final two rounds of the season are scheduled to take place in the Middle East later this month.
It recently emerged that the vast majority of MotoGP riders were opposed to racing in Qatar next weekend, amid the conflict in the region and fears over an escalation in the war between the United States and Iran. Two-thirds of riders have reportedly called for the race to be cancelled, while Yamaha have pulled out altogether, citing "company-wide travel restrictions".
F1 drivers not worried
According to GPBlog, there are no such concerns in the F1 paddock, with drivers not worried about the situation in the Middle East. It is claimed the issue has not been raised by the F1 drivers, with no votes held and no requests to be excused from travelling to the region.
However, the report adds that some team members would prefer not to travel, fearing they could become stranded in Qatar or the United Arab Emirates.
Monitoring the situation
Formula One Management, who will have the final say on whether the races go ahead, are monitoring the situation but have repeatedly stressed that there will be no further cancellations. Earlier this year, the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled, with Malaysia playing host to the event originally scheduled for Bahrain.
The situation in MotoGP is yet to be resolved, with Yamaha rider Jack Miller speaking up for the majority of the grid this weekend.
Rider opposition
Miller said: "I don't want to go. Like everybody, there's 19 of us that don't want to go there. I don't think we should be racing like that. We've made our opinion very clear on that."
"We'll see what the decision is. As riders, we've united and done the best we can, and threatened the best we can with what ammunition we have."
"Not only for us as riders, but also other people in the championship. You speak to 50 per cent of the paddock, nobody wants to go. I don't understand why we need to. I don't understand."
"They're safe at the moment. I love Qatar, but the surrounding areas are the issue that we have. Unfortunately, the neighbours have some issues. There's a lot of uncertainty there to go and put on a global event."
"We're not hiding the fact that we ride at 10:55. We are not hiding our location or the time of day we will be at said location. If anyone does want to make an example, do whatever they do…"
"Like I said. I don't want to go. In my mind I'm still not going. We've made our point. Our plan is very clear. I'm waiting to see what happens."
