FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has warned that “safety is more important than adding to an already-crowded calendar” with Formula One assessing whether to revive this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
The race in Bahrain had been due to take place on April 12 but it was put on hold due to the conflict in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, pencilled in for the following week, was also postponed.
However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed at the recent British Grand Prix that there is a possibility of at least one of those events being restored to the calendar “in the right moment and the right conditions”.
He also stressed the importance of safeguarding the grid’s 2,000-strong travelling circus.
The Press Association understands Bahrain is the most likely option of the two venues to be brought back, with a date of October 4 mooted – a vacant gap in the schedule between the races in Azerbaijan on September 26 and Singapore on October 11.
And when asked if he believed Bahrain or Saudi Arabia could find a slot on this year’s schedule, Emirati Ben Sulayem, who has recently been in the Middle East, said: “Who knows? Is there going to be a bit of stability? To tell you the truth, we are far away from that.
“If you ask me what is the priority, the people there and safety is more important than adding to an already-crowded calendar. The lives of my people, our neighbours, the lives of everybody in that region is very important.
“Enough of this. UAE had over 3,300 missiles and drones. You have no idea. We go and think of a small thing that is more important.
“Hopefully things will come back to normal and hopefully peace will come and then we can thrive again. But I have no knowledge of what is going on. It is not in our hands.”
It is believed that F1 must decide before the sport’s summer break – which follows the Hungarian Grand Prix in three weeks time – whether to press ahead with bringing Bahrain back into the fold to ensure a 23-round season.
The final two races of the campaign are also due to take place in the Middle East – in Qatar on November 29 and Abu Dhabi a week later – and, as it stands, F1 bosses are thought to be hopeful they will go ahead as planned.
Meanwhile, Ben Sulayem has also claimed Max Verstappen will not walk away from the sport. The four-time world champion cut a disillusioned figure for much of the Silverstone weekend in his misfiring Red Bull.
Verstappen, who crashed out from third in the closing laps, has been deeply critical of this year’s revamped rules, likening F1 to Mario Kart.
But Ben Sulayem added: “I am not worried (about Verstappen). I am sorry. I am not worried about the FIA. I am not worried about Formula One because people come and go.
“When I meet him, he is a driver, he is a champion and people say ‘you should tell him not to say these (critical) things’. But have you been a driver? No. Do you know how he feels? No.
“Let him say whatever he wants. There are people who will always leave a mark. It is a choice that he has. But I don’t believe Max would leave.”
