CEO Stefano Domenicali says Formula 1 can help put focus on human rights concerns in the Middle Eastern nation.
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Formula 1 will be returning to Saudi Arabia, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said this week in Las Vegas.
Following missile strikes in Jeddah during free practice at the nearby circuit last Friday, drivers were looking forward to post-event discussions with F1 management about reconsidering a return to Saudi Arabia.
“Formula 1 has promised to reconsider their choices for some Grands Prix,” Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas said.
But as Domenicali stood in Las Vegas this week to announce a third Formula 1 GP for the United States next year that will race down the Las Vegas Strip, he downplayed suggestions Saudi Arabia could be set to lose its event.
“We have talked about the fact that this country has certain problems,” Domenicali said. “But I believe sports in general and Formula 1 in particular will draw the necessary attention to these problems and get the momentum in the right direction.
We are not involved in politics, but I believe that sport will help a country that wants to change its culture. We must do our part, so we stay. We are confident that we can shape a better future together.”
Saudi sport minister Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, meanwhile, said the government is willing to offer guarantees so that Formula 1 teams and drivers feel safe.
So as Saudi Arabia looks set to stay, Las Vegas joins the 2023 calendar, Qatar’s new deal is set to kick off in 2023 and China finally returning to F1, there are rumors that Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Paul Ricard in France and even the famed Monaco circuit could now be endangered. F1’s Concorde Agreement calls for no more than 24 races on the schedule.
Keyword: Why Saudi Arabia's F1 Grand Prix Appears Safe for 2023