Wednesday 17th November 2021
Now also Formula 1 in Qatar
Title fight in the controversial desert state
The 2022 World Cup will begin in Qatar on November 21, 2022. Exactly one year earlier, Formula 1 visits the controversial desert state for the first time, with which Formula 1 has big plans. Even the poisoned title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton moves into the background for a short time.
Max Verstappen only knows the location of the next hot Formula 1 title duel from the screen. “I drove a bit in the racing simulator to get to know the corners. But it will be nice to finally see it in real life,” said the world championship leader before the race premiere in controversial Qatar. On Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) In the host country of the 2022 World Cup, a grand prix of the motorsport premier class will take place for the first time. The fact that none of the stars ever turned their laps on the course ensures even more tension in the long-poisoned duel between Red Bull driver Verstappen and defending champion Lewis Hamilton in the third last race of the season.
The anticipation for this exchange of blows is clouded. Qatar, the small country on a peninsula on the Persian Gulf, has for years been heavily criticized internationally for its disregard for human rights and the exploitation of migrant workers. Those in power have long been accused of trying to improve the battered image through extensive involvement in professional sport. Formula 1 is just right there, the Grand Prix takes place exactly one year to the day before the opening game of the World Cup.
A “groundbreaking long-term deal”
If you make your way north from the international airport through Doha to the Losail International Circuit, you will drive past several World Cup stadiums in the always hectic traffic. As if out of nowhere, the newest track on the Formula 1 calendar is suddenly almost in the desert. Huge posters are used to advertise on the city motorway. Under 2G conditions there should be full grandstands. So far, the motorcycle world championship has been in Qatar since 2004, now the most important series in motorsport follows in the rich emirate. This year, the organizers are stepping in due to the tense corona situation for Australia, a ten-year contract from 2023 has already been fixed.
Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, President of Qatar’s Motorsport Association, calls it a “groundbreaking long-term deal”. Qatar and Formula 1 – from his point of view, they belong together. The powerful decision-maker had also already said that there would be no muzzle for the drivers, each of them could freely “express their opinion on controversial issues”, he emphasized. On Thursday, the official media rounds before the weekend will show who is actually using it. Above all, Mercedes star Hamilton and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel do not hold back on issues such as discrimination, oppression and other grievances.
Human rights have to be accepted
“I don’t think we should go to these countries and ignore what is happening there,” said the Briton Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the spring. The government of Qatar, meanwhile, repeatedly rejected criticism and pointed to the reforms implemented for the workers. In the past ten years, more than any other country has been done to improve conditions for foreign workers, the official said.
Formula 1 is convinced that it is doing the right thing by going to Qatar. Boss Stefano Domenicali told the BBC that he was convinced that it would be wrong to exclude these countries. Rather, you can make improvements if you put the spotlight on Qatar and Co. According to the Italian, the agreements with the organizers also stated that human rights must be respected in all aspects of their connection with sport. If this is not the case, Formula 1 can unilaterally terminate the contracts.
A “good” vacation spot
The World Cup races on the Arabian Peninsula have long been more than a stopgap solution. Now, for the first time, there will be five races in succession across the seasons in the region. From Qatar it goes on to the next premiere in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and then to the season finale in the glittering world of Abu Dhabi. Next year, the start will be in Bahrain again before going to Saudi Arabia. “The Middle East is a good place for races,” said Günther Steiner, team principal of Mick Schumacher’s Haas racing team, before the trip to Doha. “These countries are up and coming and put a lot of effort into organizing these events.” In addition, it is “warm when it gets cold in Europe”, said the South Tyrolean Steiner: “If people are planning a vacation, it is a good place to go there.”
Not everyone sees it that way. “It always hurts when there is another race abroad and you are not driving in Germany. Qatar would not have needed it, but Hockenheim or the Nürburgring,” said former Swiss Formula 1 driver Marc Surer at Sport1. Amnesty International meanwhile appealed: “The drivers and their teams should be ready to raise awareness of human rights in Qatar in the run-up to this race.”