FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem defended the wait for clarity over how this year's Formula 1 season will end amid uncertainty over the Middle East security situation but told The Associated Press that drivers and team staff will not be put "at risk."
The F1 season is still scheduled to end with the Qatar Grand Prix on Nov. 29 and the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6, but F1 has been examining potential alternative venues. A replacement finale at the Imola circuit in Italy is widely considered the likeliest option.
Ben Sulayem told the AP it remains "business as usual. We are not changing anything unless we have to," and he said he's in regular communication with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
"Being from that part of the world, we can't jump the gun and just say, 'That's it, we are canceling' and then cancel," he added. "Are we going to allow our people, our staff, the drivers or the teams to go at risk? No, of course not. We will not. But we'll have also to listen to the governments and to the local promoter there."
F1 sets its own calendar and agreements with host venues, but as the governing body, the FIA must approve the schedule and any changes.
Iran has previously targeted Qatar and the UAE, which includes Abu Dhabi, as part of its response to U.S. airstrikes, and F1 called off the other two Middle East rounds earlier in the season -- in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
"And the wellbeing of my family being there and the UAE nationals and everyone that lives there comes as a priority," Ben Sulayem said.
He added that "for the time being, there is no emergency" in deciding a calendar for the 2027 season.
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If the season does finish in Imola, it will mean that Kimi Antonelli's quest to become F1's youngest champion could end with the party of a lifetime just down the road from his home city of Bologna.
When Antonelli raced there last year, he invited his family and his whole school class to see him at the track.
Antonelli, 20, moved 66 points clear in the title race with a statement victory at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday, after an epic fight from the back of the grid.
