Williams driver Carlos Sainz has openly admitted that it is difficult to be convinced that the 2026 Formula 1 world championship season will definitively finish in the Middle East as originally scheduled, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and security concerns in the region.
The situation in the Gulf remains volatile amid the ongoing conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran. Separately from that military engagement, the US State Department has ordered certain diplomats and their families to evacuate Saudi Arabia as attacks orchestrated by Houthi rebels continue to escalate.
Despite the prevailing uncertainty across the Gulf region, Formula 1's governing body remains adamant in its stance that the final two grand prix events of the campaign in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will proceed exactly as planned.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem insisted that both races are going to happen based on the official information and security advice provided to F1 up to Tuesday 20 October. Responding to the governing body's stance, fellow driver Oscar Piastri stated that he places his full trust in the authorities.
The Australian driver noted that difficult situations involving conflicts have occurred in the past, and the competitors will listen closely to the advice given by F1 and the FIA. Echoing similar sentiments, rookie Isack Hadjar kept his remarks brief by stating that the matter is entirely out of his control and his sole focus remains on driving.
However, Sainz, who serves as a director for the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, argued that it is impossible to predict how the volatile political landscape will develop over the coming weeks, making the governing body's certainty feel rather premature.
"They seem very convinced that it's going to go ahead. I think on my personal side, and not speaking as a GPDA, it's very difficult to be convinced right now because there's still plenty of things happening in the Middle East," Sainz told media members during Thursday's press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix.
"And also there is obviously an election that is going to happen in the US and things that are going to happen in 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," he explained.
Sainz emphasized that if the FIA and Formula 1 ultimately determine that traveling to the region is safe, the drivers will follow their lead and trust their judgment. Nevertheless, he highlighted the necessity of remaining adaptable to sudden global changes.
"As it stands, we would go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi and if the FIA and Formula 1 decide that's still safe and a good scenario, I think we as drivers have to go with whatever they say. It's not like we don't have as much inside information as they have, so we need to follow their lead and trust in their decision making," Sainz said.
"Pero only as it stands, I think the world can change a lot in the next month and a half. So we need to be reactive to whatever happens and not just go because we want to go right now," he concluded, with reporting originally sourced from Crash.net highlighting the paddock's cautious atmosphere.
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