Formula One has acknowledged the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, which end the season, could be relocated if conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
The likelihood of an emergency switch is being played down but Formula One executives are in daily contact with promoters and have a contingency plan.
With four races now held in the region, Stefano Domenicali, the Formula One chief executive, said the championship is inevitably exposed to “geopolitical risk”.
“Of course we are monitoring in the area that there are very unfortunate conflicts, and we are exposed on the promotional side, mainly in the Middle East,” he said. “We are in daily contact with their promoters there.”
After airstrikes in the past month involving Israel, Iran and the US, Domenicali maintained “we have a plan”.
He said, however, that promoters are “not worried at all” that the races are currently in danger. When asked to clarify whether there is a genuine risk of the races being moved, he added: “So far, we don’t have this kind of signal, and so we are really hoping not. I don’t want to even think about it, mainly for the bigger picture, not for the racing itself.”
A Formula One spokesman added that contingency plans were always in place for global events, pointing to scheduling changes made during the pandemic.
Stefano Domenicali emphasised safety and monitoring, stating races are not currently in danger. Photo / Getty Images
The latest Foreign Office advice after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 24 states that travellers must “stay up to date with events in the region”.
Domenicali said: “We’re talking about human beings and bombs, so it’s definitely serious. But of course, when we consider all the things, we consider the safety devices that are in place.
“Remember, two years ago there was the Houthi attack in Saudi Arabia – we then went there because we were sure about the guarantee that we had in terms of safety.
“It was guaranteed to the system that we were moving there. So of course, it’s a judgment that we will take with the right people, the right knowledge.”
Domenicali, who will be part of a Formula One delegation at Downing St on Wednesday, added in a wide-ranging London briefing before the British Grand Prix that the Silverstone race is here to stay.
He did, however, say he would ask the Prime Minister about helping the sport with logistical challenges post-Brexit, such as visa difficulties for staff flying in from Europe for the week.
“We need to make sure that all the people related to the ecosystem of F1 can come to perform their duties with no limitation,” he said, “because they are part of a group of thousands that are moving for the races.”
Business is booming for Formula One and Domenicali, 59, is contracted as chief executive until 2029. The sport claims to be worth £12 billion ($27b) to the United Kingdom economy annually.
Domenicali, who was team principal at Ferrari between 2008 and 2014 before becoming chief executive of Lamborghini in 2016, will make the case to Sir Keir Starmer for Silverstone’s need for improved road infrastructure before the record attendances anticipated this week.
While cities globally bid to become Formula One destinations, the Italian, who succeeded Chase Carey as Formula One chief executive in 2021, says Silverstone can remain on the calendar “forever”.
Formula One executives are in daily contact with promoters and have contingency plans in place. Photo / Red Bull Content Pool
“I do believe that, in that respect, Silverstone has the right characteristics to stay forever in the calendar because there’s no other places where you can develop such a huge event in the UK,” he said.
Before his Government meeting, Domenicali said his intention was to “keep the centricity of UK in our ecosystem” – with 6000 people directly employed in the UK in the sport.
Last year Silverstone produced the largest attendance of any event on the Formula One calendar, with 480,000 fans. That number is expected to be beaten by Sunday.
