F1 calendar still evolving
In recent days, Formula 1 has officially announced the return of the Turkish GP, one of the most desired events by fans, considering the beauty of the Istanbul track. The agreement will last five years – from 2027 to 2031 – but the possibility of an edition also in the current World Championship is emerging to possibly replace one of those GPs that are currently suspended and will remain so until the geopolitical situation in Iran and throughout the Middle East has stabilized and calmed down.
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F1 has given up on holding the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs in April: if the war in Iran continues throughout the year, the Circus would also have to cancel the Abu Dhabi and Qatar events, with strong doubts also about the opportunity to go to Baku, which is about 250 km from the border. Liberty Media will of course closely follow all developments, aware of having a plan B and a date by which to decide whether to race in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the hypothesis of an early return of Turkey has received an important opening from FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Ben Sulayem’s words
“Regarding Qatar, we might postpone the event by a week. Otherwise, perhaps we could have Turkey this year, if it manages to complete homologation and meet the rest of the requirements,” said the Emirati in Miami.
“We are consulting with the promoters, but there is a matter more important than just motorsport. Sport can wait, people are always the priority: we hope the war ends soon, so we can return to normality and not live as we are living now, with all this stress,” he added. “If the situation were to extend until October or November, we could not go to those countries, because safety comes first.”
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