Qatar GP venue issues emergency shelter plan ahead of F1 and MotoGP weekends

The venue for the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, the Lusail International Circuit, has issued an emergency response plan to cover the F1 and MotoGP weekends.

The document was issued immediately prior to the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix, with its contents applicable to this weekend and the upcoming Formula 1 weekend on 27-29 November.

Lusail International Circuit issues emergency plan for Qatar Grand Prix

With the Qatar Grand Prix playing host to the penultimate round of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Middle Eastern country is this weekend hosting MotoGP, one of the region’s most high-profile sporting events, at the Lusail International Circuit.

Tensions have been high in the region for most of the year, following the commencement of aerial bombing by the USA and Israel on Iran, resulting in retaliatory strikes from Iran on prominent US and allied military facilities.

With the majority of sporting events in the Middle East cancelled or postponed this year, including the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the relocation of the Bahrain Grand Prix to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, Formula 1 is set to return to the region in late November with two consecutive races: Qatar and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

With the Liberty Media-owned MotoGP weekend taking place as planned, despite reports that the majority of riders were not in favour of travelling, and despite the withdrawal of Yamaha, proactive steps to bolster the security of attendees and competitors have been taken by the Lusail International Circuit, with an emergency response plan circulated ahead of the event.

“This presents an internal shelter plan for the upcoming MotoGP and Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix,” the document stated.

“The plan was conducted by Lusail International Circuit’s Security and Operations Division and Safety and Security Operations Committee (SSOC) to ensure the safety of attendees, personnel and event staff in the event of an emergency.

“It identifies designated shelter locations, capacities and access routes and forms part of the wider security operations for the event.”

The links between Qatar and MotoGP are deep and well-established: the Qatari motorsports federation, the QMMF, partners with MotoGP, while the government-run Qatar Airways is the logistics partner to the series.

Aside from the race fees, it’s perhaps unsurprising that, for MotoGP, racing in Qatar is extremely important on the basis of protecting that close relationship.

In the run-up to the MotoGP weekend, Autosport reported that the riders had sought a number of written assurances to help assuage concerns about going to Qatar, namely these extensive shelter and evacuation plans, insurance policies for if Qatari airspace closures result in personnel becoming stuck in the country, and repatriation cover.

Memo issued to F1 teams seeks to reassure ahead of Qatar Grand Prix

Over the Mexico City Grand Prix, the F1 teams received a memo from FOM, a copy of which has been seen by PlanetF1.com.

This memo was with the purpose of alerting the teams about the Yamaha announcement, and that this withdrawal would have no impact on Formula 1’s running of a Grand Prix, nor on the broader picture of the MotoGP weekend.

As it stands, the position remains unchanged: the plans are to travel to Qatar and Abu Dhabi to conclude the season; travel advice and insurance currently allow F1 to stick to this plan.

As has long been the case, reassurances have been made that the situation continues to be monitored and there will be no risks taken regarding safety and security.

The teams have been asked to maintain trust in FOM and the FIA that the right decisions will be made

PlanetF1.com understands that the situation regarding US mid-term elections this week has been closely monitored, a tacit acknowledgement that the threatened escalation of hostilities in the region could yet have an impact on the decision-making process.

As it stands, a survey of the majority of the teams carried out by PlanetF1.com has seen them maintain this line of confidence: multiple outfits have expressed confidence and trust in the decision-making of FOM and the FIA, with no qualms about racing wherever the calendar is decided to take them.

Some sources have indicated that, when it comes to matters of personal convictions, there is the possibility that some teams may be understanding of individual team members being reluctant to travel, due to the risk to safety, as well as the threat of an escalation having an impact on travel ability, ie. possibly getting stranded in the Middle East.

There has been very little noise from any of the F1 teams or drivers expressing misgivings about travelling to the Middle East, although it must be pointed out that, like MotoGP, there is significant sponsorship interest for several teams in the region.

During the United States Grand Prix weekend, Carlos Sainz became one of the few voices to weigh in on the topic, saying that, in his eyes, it’s “very difficult” to be convinced the races can go ahead.

“I think they seem very convinced that it’s going to go ahead. I think on my personal side, and not speaking as the GPDA, it’s very difficult to be convinced right now,” Sainz said.

“There are still things happening in the Middle East, and also there is obviously an election that is going to happen in the US, and things that are going to happen on the political side of the world that could affect the next month and a half very suddenly. So, I think it’s relatively premature to be so convinced.”

Two hours later, Williams issues a ‘clarification’ of his comments, although sources have indicated that Sainz did not proactively set about this process.

As it stands, with the Middle Eastern races still on the calendar, the back-up scenario is for F1 to head to Imola if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled – the Italian venue is carrying out preparations for the scenario of a call-up replacement race, with financial guarantees from FOM should the preparations ultimately prove in vain.

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