F1 star admits it's 'difficult to be convinced' on Middle East races as US elections loom

F1 star Carlos Sainz has admitted that he has a number of concerns about the sport's planned season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been bullish on the prospects of holding the races as planned despite continued unrest in the area, with missile strikes hitting barely 100 miles away from the Lusail track where the Qatar Grand Prix is held.

There were reports this week that families of US embassy personnel have been withdrawn from both the UAE and Qatar (among other countries in the region), with the New York Times reporting that the US is developing plans to restart its war with Iran.

Sainz pointed to the upcoming midterm elections in the US as a complicating factor in the situation around the season-ending races, calling it 'relatively premature' to be convinced one way or another about the races when things could move very rapidly.

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Sainz: We will go with F1 and FIA decision

"On my personal side, I'm not speaking as a GPDA [representative], it's very difficult to be convinced right now, because there are still things happening, plenty of things happening in the Middle East," the Spaniard said.

"And also there is obviously an election that is going to happen in the US [on Nov. 3], and things that are going to happen in the political side of the world that could affect the next month, month and a half, very suddenly.

"So I think it's relatively premature to be so convinced, but as it stands, we will go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and if the FIA and Formula 1 decide that it's still safe and a good scenario, I think we, as drivers, have to go with whatever they say.

"We don't have as much political information, as much inside information as they have, for sure, so we need to follow their lead and trust in their decision-making, but only as it stands.

"The world can change a lot in the next month, month and a half, and we need to stay diligent and reactive to whatever happens, and not just go because we want to go right now."

Sainz clarifies confidence in FIA and F1

Sainz later walked back his comments somewhat in a statement put out by his Williams team, in which he backed the sport's decision-makers to make the right choice over the races, and ensure the safety of everyone involved as a top priority.

That short statement read: "Following some reporting of my comments in the press conference earlier today about ending the season in the Middle East, I want to be clear that I know the FIA and Formula 1 will put safety first and completely trust them to make the right decision. We look forward to racing in Qatar and Abu Dhabi."

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