Will the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix be cancelled? Here's the state of play!
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is traditionally the closing event of the F1 season. The race is on the calendar in the United Arab Emirates in 2023. But rumours appeared in various media on Thursday that the race will be cancelled because of the war between Israel and Hamas.
GPblog asked a spokesperson at the Yas Marina Circuit about the accuracy of the rumours: "The race will go ahead one hundred per cent for sure. There will be no change in that. We are currently still selling tickets through our website."
UK ministry comment prompts rumours
The origin of the rumours is probably in a communication from the British Foreign Office. They reported via their website on Thursday that it is "very possible" that terrorist attacks are taking place in the United Arab Emirates. However, this warning is not linked to the war between Israel and Hamas. Incidentally, the UK has already issued similar calls for vigilance some time ago for countries such as Germany, Belgium, France and Bahrain.
Formula 1 teams are constantly kept informed about the situation in the Middle East. Currently, they also have no reason to cancel the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Naturally, the situation will be closely monitored in the coming period.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, November 26. A week earlier, Formula 1 will visit Las Vegas. The Grand Prix in this US city will not be the concluding race of the 2023 season.
Don't know why F1 wanted to race in the Middle East in the first place. I would never go to a race there.
As a Bahraini let me tell you you're missing out my friend.
1 The bahrain GP is the cheapest on the calendar to attend.
2 The support events/concerts are fire.
3 The event is Incredibly well organised.
4 Bahrain is a very safe country.
5 Bahrain is a small country with a rich history which means you can pretty much see everything you need in one day.
I can go on and on but I think 5 points should be enough
Yeah i was wondering when this thing would affect F1.
Because i could also expect Western countries to boycott some races for their political differences.
On top of the increasing dangers of flying to that area.
And, similarly to Las Vegas, and i hope i am as wrong as i could ever be, but i have a bad feeling about those races.
I really don't hope to see some "example cases" being made (think 1972 Olympics ... ironically very relevant to the current conflict as well...), using F1 as the world's stage.
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