Toto Wolff on Formula 1 races in the Middle East: “Keeping our finger on the pulse”

It has been clear since Tuesday (10 November) that there will be no replacement race at Imola for the World Championship finale. Officially, Formula 1 had always planned to hold the two final races in Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December) – but Imola had been lined up as a fallback option, a ‘Plan B’, in case of an escalation in the Middle East. Now, however, the finale is drawing nearer, the logistics are falling into place – and Imola has been informed that it no longer needs to stand by for St Nicholas’ Day.

F1 finale in Qatar and Abu Dhabi

The final triple-header will therefore be Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, as originally planned. This was the assumption in Formula 1 anyway, as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff emphasised even before the official cancellation of the Imola race.

During the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend, Toto Wolff spoke about the two races and the organisation led by Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem: “Stefano and Mohammed have made it quite clear that Formula 1 adheres to international guidelines – whether in relation to travel restrictions, flight cancellations, warnings in the region or feedback from local authorities. So it’s not just about the organisers, but also about what the local authorities are doing. And in my opinion, we have to rely on that, and I fully agree with that.” The region is now largely calm, yet the situation remains volatile, with many countries still issuing travel advisories or warnings for the region.

MotoGP has already raced in Qatar

Ahead of the MotoGP race in Qatar, which took place last weekend alongside the Brazilian Grand Prix in F1, there was much discussion about safety. Yamaha cancelled the Qatar Grand Prix for both its factory team and the Pramac satellite team, and did not take part. Wolff took a dig at the MotoGP riders, saying: “I think when riders take a stand – people who, from a geopolitical perspective, have no idea what’s going on, but have an audience that listens to them – it creates media buzz. But I would have acted exactly as the MotoGP management did. Anyone who wants to ride should ride. Anyone who doesn’t want to shouldn’t ride. It’s as simple as that, and everyone can make their own personal decision – and I respect that.”

Wolff: Keeping an eye on developments in the Middle East

With regard to the two Formula 1 races, Wolff emphasises: “Of course, we need to keep an eye on developments over the coming days and weeks, and Stefano has his finger on the pulse when it comes to monitoring this. Should the situation become more dangerous and we receive feedback to that effect, then he, together with Mohammed, will be the first to protect the people who are due to travel. That’s why I’m sticking to their guidelines. As far as I’ve heard internally, the issue hasn’t been raised yet. It hasn’t been an issue so far. But the same applies here: If anyone feels unwell and doesn’t want to travel, I would always respect that. And perhaps that’s an opportunity to give someone else a chance. It wouldn’t change the relationship in any way. I’ve always respected the fact that some people didn’t want to travel to certain Grands Prix, and that’s how I see it at the moment too.”