On Saturday, the seasons of two world championships will start simultaneously: the Bahrain Grand Prix will be held in Formula 1 and the first stage of the WEC season will be held in Qatar, a neighboring state in the Middle East. It is unlikely that such a coincidence of dates can be considered successful, and the FIA as a rule, tries to avoid such overlaps. But the current situation is very obvious, as the second stage of the World Cross-Country Rally Championship also takes place in Abu Dhabi on the same weekend.
“It’s not a problem for the FIA, Formula 1 or the WEC – we are just limited in our options,” Mohammed bin Sulayem, FIA president, told Speedweek at the Geneva Motor Show, which also opened this week. – We always try to find the best possible solution.
It’s good that we have a lot of championships, but that doesn’t make the planning task any easier. I’m not even going to Abu Dhabi for the second stage of the World Cross-Country Rally Championship, which is also taking place now, even though I was involved in organizing these races 33 years ago. But I will try to attend the Formula 1 race and the first stage of the WEC.”
The FIA president was also asked whether it is reasonable to expect Formula 1 to end the period of such clear dominance of one driver and one team in 2024.
“I hope so,” bin Sulayem replied. – Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren had a good pre-season test. I agree that Red Bull is still very impressive, but you know things can change very quickly on the track and we have to keep the competition really intense.
In motorsport, especially Formula 1, there are constantly changing phases of clear dominance by one team. Although the FIA is responsible for setting the rules of the championship, you can never rule out that someone will be better than the rest. I hope the battle on the World Cup circuits will be more exciting this year.”
The FIA president reiterated his position on the issue of an eleventh team in the championship, as Formula 1 opposes the desire of Michael Andretti and his business partners to create such a team: “As I have always said, I convinced that there should not be more races, but teams. If we talk about the Andretti Cadillac project, then at FIA level we have studied and approved their application in detail. But we are only responsible for the sporting side and commercial aspects do not fall within our competence.
As a civil servant, I dream of a US team entering Formula 1, so that it can receive the support of an American car manufacturer. This is important for our entire sport. But in the same way, we would like to see teams and car manufacturers from China. “I really hope that Audi successfully implements the plans that have already been announced, and that General Motors comes to Formula 1 in two years.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
