15 September 2025 – 08:53

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has admitted the recent Israeli airstrike in Doha makes the upcoming Qatar GP a sensitive issue, though he remains hopeful the race will go ahead as planned.

The strike, carried out on September 9, targeted senior Hamas figures – including negotiators involved in ceasefire discussions – in a district of Doha.

Five members of Hamas and a Qatari security officer were killed, and the event has provoked sharp diplomatic fallout from Qatar and its regional partners.

Speaking to The Observer, Domenicali said: “That is very tragic, very difficult. We are monitoring the situation very closely but we are not in a situation today where we can say that it is a concern (for the race to go ahead).

“We hope that sport will bring positivity.”

Indeed, the Italian emphasised Formula 1’s global reach and influence, adding: “We are the only worldwide sport that every year is around the globe where we meet with prime ministers, with kings, with everyone, with the top men in the world.

“So my hope is that through F1 we can also talk about the bigger picture of the world that we’re living in.”

Calendrier – circuits F1