A decision regarding the future of the World Rally Championship’s season finale in Saudi Arabia will be taken by mid-September, according to the FIA, which is closely monitoring events in the Middle East.
The WRC is scheduled to host its season finale in Saudi Arabia on 11-14 November, but it is among an array of motorsport events in the Middle East that are facing uncertainty amid the ongoing US/Israeli conflict in Iran.
This was further complicated when a ceasefire agreed between Iran and the US/Israel collapsed this month, with both sides resuming attacks in the region and commercial ships continuing to avoid the Strait of Hormuz over fear of missile strikes.
Last week, the World Endurance Championship announced that its rescheduled Qatar 1812km set for 24 October to be followed by the traditional Bahrain finale on 7 November will be replaced by rounds in Barcelona (18 October) and Monza (7 November) respectively.
This followed an announcement that Malaysia’s Sepang circuit will now host the Bahrain Grand Prix from 2-4 October, which was postponed from its original date in April. A decision is yet to be taken on the F1’s season-ending rounds in Qatar (27-29 November) and Abu Dhabi (4-6 December).
The FIA is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and its impact on the WRC’s season finale in Saudi Arabia.
Martins Sesks, Renars Francis, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Ford Puma Rally1
Photo by: M-Sport
“At the current stage, we are working very closely with the promoter to try to find the best way forward,” said FIA road sport director Emilia Abel at Rally Finland.
“As we all know, this situation can very quickly change, and even if we take the positive decision one day, it can still happen that the week after, the situation has changed. Currently, we are really actively discussing this also with manufacturer teams, because based on what has happened in other championships, we know that this can also become a constraint.
“Somewhere in the middle of September would be the time to take [a decision], because obviously we are working also with the logistics of the championship.”
When asked if there were any contingency plans in the works to replace Rally Saudi Arabia if the event is unable to go ahead, Abel added: “For the moment, we are still working hard that it [Rally Saudi Arabia] will happen, to stick to the actual championship.
“Because, obviously, the choices that WRC2 competitors have been making, dedicating it [as part of their programmes]. So, it’s not as simple as that, and we all know how long the lead time is to prepare for a WRC event.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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