Ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Formula 1 have confirmed that the season finale in Abu Dhabi is going ahead as planned, despite rumours suggest that it was set to be cancelled.
Social media filled with posts from various F1 media sites on Thursday morning suggesting that a meeting was due to take place to discuss whether the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can take place, amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
Tensions have risen in the Middle East as a result of the current deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has already seen over a thousand people killed.
As a result of the war, the UK Foreign Office have updated their travel advice for the UAE, with the threat of terrorism having been raised to ‘very likely’.
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This update took place on October 29, whilst they also warned UK residents planning on travelling to the UAE that ‘there is a possibility of an increased threat against Western interests’ due to the current issues between Israel and Palestine.
It’s not just the UK Foreign Office who have taken action to warn British nationals, as other European nations have also updated their info to protect their own.
Despite the increase of the threat of terrorism in the UAE, its threat level is no different to what the UK Foreign Office have down for Bahrain.
The Bahrain Grand Prix has taken place over the years without any issues, despite the advice from the UK government.
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However, people still pondered whether the intensifying conflict could result in the 2023 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit being cancelled, something F1 have insisted is not the case.
An F1 spokesperson has confirmed that the race will go ahead as planned, with the teams having been informed over the sport’s stance in regard to the situation and the advice of the UK Foreign Office.
F1 is perhaps receiving more questions about Abu Dhabi than usual given what occurred at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last season, where an attack on an Aramco oil facility took place during the opening day of the Grand Prix.