F1 freight already heading to Qatar as teams are briefed on evacuation plans

F1 told ESPN that it has comprehensive evacuation plans in place at every grand prix event anyway and that it has walked through scenarios with the 11 teams in case they need to leave either race at short notice. The Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail is on 29 November, and after the Qatar Grand Prix, F1 is due to travel to Abu Dhabi for the season-ender on Dec. 6 despite uncertainty in the region.

The clearest sign of how far the plan has gone is the freight. F1 teams always have several sets of equipment moving around the world at once, and one team source saying that logistics have carried on as normal.

According to that source, freight used for Baku's Azerbaijan Grand Prix is heading to Qatar, while the freight from the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held in Malaysia, is due to be used in Abu Dhabi.

So both sets of kit for the last two rounds are already committed to the Middle East. If F1 switches the finale to Italy, that equipment would have to be rerouted or replaced.

The teams have known about this problem for a while. In September, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said a lot of practical work would be needed, giving the example of "things like European motorhome structure, etcetera."

Audi racing director Allan McNish spoke after the Mexico City Grand Prix and said the team is preparing as normal. "We're going to Qatar and Abu Dhabi," he told media. "All the travel, logistics, everything is going in that direction. Obviously, we're waiting to see if there is any change, and if there is, we will react to it, but at the moment, it is status quo."

McNish also made clear that the decision is not Audi's to make and said there was no new information on either race.

This is where the timeline gets less clear. GPblog previously reported that teams had been told 10 November was the last date to approve a replacement race at Imola, in F1 season could end in Las Vegas as 10 November Imola deadline emerges. However, different sources have given a different cutoff dates for how much notice they would need to switch to Imola and F1 itself seems confident a late switch could still be made.

One fallback measure is reportedly already in place as organisers at Imola got the green light more than six weeks ago to build temporary grandstands, and F1 has agreed to cover the costs if the circuit isn't needed. F1, for its part, says it is in constant contact with the authorities in Qatar and the UAE and has been told both races are safe as things stand.

The bar for changing course is high. It is anticipated that a full return to the level of escalation seen in the Middle East at the start of the year would lead F1 to change its plans. Until then, the cars keep heading to the Gulf. Because the cut-off date appears more flexible than first reported, a decision about Imola could still come after 10 November, even though the equipment is already on its way.