F1 chiefs fear Qatar Grand Prix WON’T go ahead as planned amid safety concerns with drivers left outraged
FORMULA ONE chiefs are sweating over whether Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix will go ahead as planned due to safety concerns.
Saturday’s practice has been extended as the sport’s governing body, the FIA, are worried about some of the kerbs at the Lusail International Circuit, which has undergone some major redevelopment work.
The problem was highlighted by tyre suppliers Pirelli at 10:30pm on Friday night, who investigated the sets of tyres used by the drivers in the solitary practice session and qualifying on Friday night.
However, despite informing the FIA, teams were not told about the risks until 14 HOURS later, sparking outrage among the drivers, who requested an urgent meeting.
They have been reassured by F1 that the tyres were at least safe for the 30-minute sprint race but the FIA have registered extra running time to investigate further.
It could result in the FIA stipulating that during Sunday’s race, drivers are forced to stop THREE times for new tyres to limit the chances of a blow out due to cuts in the tyre wall.
It comes after a substantial development of the track to signal the start of the 10-year deal Qatar has signed with F1.
However, somewhat incredibly, the international sporting event has not had a single pilot event with an F1 car.
The first time an F1 car went around the circuit since the resurfacing was on Friday, sparking a debate as to how safe the circuit is.
While this is not the first time this track has held an F1 race – it hosted the 2021 Qatar GP – questions are being asked of the FIA and F1.
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Not only have there been no test events, there are zero additional races on the schedule – unlike other races on the F1 calendar.
Consequently, the track is dirty and covered in dust, making it more unpredictable for drivers.
It is all messy at a race where Max Verstappen can be crowned world champion.