Will the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix be cancelled? Here's the state of play!
- Ludo van Denderen
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.