Formula 1: Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races under threat because of conflict in Middle East

Photo of author

By news.saerio.com


The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix are under threat as a consequence of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The two countries are among the Gulf states targeted by retaliatory missiles launched by Iran in response to US-Israeli air strikes.

Bahrain is set to host the fourth race of the season from 10-12 April, with Saudi Arabia’s event in Jeddah a week later.

Missiles have hit hotels and civilian and energy infrastructure, as well as targeting American bases in the countries.

The US naval base in the Bahraini capital Manama has already been hit by Iranian missiles. It is situated in the Juffair area, one of the parts of the city where F1 personnel stay.

The Saudi Arabian race is near an oil refinery which four years ago was the target of a missile attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

A statement from F1 said: “Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan not in the Middle East – those races are not for a number of weeks.

“As always we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities and will always prioritise the safety and security of all those in the sport.”

Although the Bahrain Grand Prix is five weeks away, F1 has no more than two weeks before it has to make a decision as to whether the two races can go ahead because of the need to fly equipment to the two countries.



Source link

Leave a Reply