Vessel attacked in UAE waters on the day F1 said the sport was heading for Abu Dhabi

The company confirmed the incident through the UAE's official WAM news agency and said it happened in the Arabian Gulf on Tuesday afternoon.

It did not name the vessel or describe the damage, and it gave no detail about whoever carried out the attack. In its short statement, the company said response efforts were ongoing and that further updates would follow as more information became available.

For the meantime, F1 continues to monitor the situation but says the plan is to head to the Middle East to finish the season as planned after the Las Vegas GP next week.

GPblog reported F1's decision on Tuesday. In its statement, an F1 spokesperson said: "Nothing has negatively developed in the region and specifically in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in recent months." F1 listed its reasons. Travel advice still allows travel, insurance remains valid, events are still taking place in the region and business has returned to normal. All the teams also support finishing the season as planned.

Read closely, the attack does not break any of those criteria. A damaged ship does not change government travel advice or insurance cover on its own.

That suggests F1 assesses risk mainly through official advice and the situation on land, that said, the sport is mindful that it has to react should the situation develop.

Earlier this year, attacks on ADNOC ships happened in the Strait of Hormuz. In July, The National reported, two crude oil tankers operated by the company were hit by projectiles in the strait, and one crew member was killed.

The shipping intelligence outlet Gosships said an attack inside UAE waters takes the risk to ADNOC's fleet beyond the strait, where the earlier attacks it could locate had taken place.

Qatar has had a similar incident in its own shipping. Khaleej Times noted that on 30 October, Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) reported that its vessel Al Maayeda had been attacked by unidentified objects in the Arabian Gulf.

Tuesday was also busy in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy said two tankers caught fire on a route it calls unauthorised.

UKMTO also reported a separate strike on a tanker northeast of Lima in Oman. According to Shipping Telegraph, it was not immediately clear whether the UKMTO report and the ADNOC incident were linked.

For now, the plan has not changed. Qatar hosts its race on 29 November and Abu Dhabi closes the season on 6 December. Inside the paddock, some people are still uneasy, given that both venues lie close to the Strait of Hormuz, where missile strikes continue.

Some teams have already responded, as GPblog reported, Mercedes will allow team members to skip the races if they do not wish to travel to the region.

The UAE foreign ministry condemned Tuesday's attack and called it a "grave threat" to maritime navigation and global energy supplies. The open question for F1 is whether attacks at sea will ever count as the negative development its statement talks about, or whether only a change in travel advice or insurance would trigger a rethink.