Wolff backs F1 leaders to assess Qatar and Abu Dhabi races

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Formula 1 and FIA leaders should decide whether the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix can proceed, using travel and safety guidance, while respecting team members who choose not to travel. No final decision on either race was reported.

Wolff said the assessment should consider international guidelines, travel restrictions, whether airlines are operating, warnings in the region and feedback from local governments. He said he trusted Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to monitor the situation and protect personnel if conditions became more dangerous.

The races are scheduled for Qatar on November 29 and Abu Dhabi on December 6. Formula 1 reportedly set November 10 as a deadline for deciding whether they can go ahead. The reported contingency involves preparations at Imola, which would need to commit to major work or abandon it. If a decision to halt the Middle Eastern races came after that deadline, Imola would no longer be available, according to the report; the season would then finish in Las Vegas.

Wolff said no one at Mercedes had raised the travel issue internally. He added that he would...