The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) decided that the safest way to get racecars out of Qatar to their next destination, Italy, was by air, after assessing the dangers of shipping the vehicles across the Red Sea.
The WEC said that the “geopolitical situation” in the area would have put the next event, at the Imola Circuit, under threat of cancelation. Since October, Houthi rebels have attacked cargo ships sailing near the Yemeni coast, and say they will continue doing so until Israel ceases aggressions in Palestine.
The Houthi attacks previously disrupted production for some automakers, such as Tesla. In addition, ships chartered by the WEC to take teams to the Middle East were delayed by the action. Motorsport reports that the disturbance caused the postponement of the pre-season Prologue test in Qatar, which in turn forced the sport to push back the Qatar 1812 KM race.
Read: Attacks On Ships In Red Sea Forced Tesla To Pause German Production For Two Weeks
As a result, “it was concluded that the safest option was for the teams’ freight to return by air rather than by sea,” the WEC wrote in a statement. “This was the only viable solution which would guarantee the safety of the WEC’s freight, as well as everything arriving on time for Imola.”
That has added a “cost implication” for both the organizers and the teams, the WEC conceded. A team told Motorsport that the cost of the airfreight back to Italy is being carried by the teams, and estimated that the bill could amount to more than £250,000 (around US$318,300 at current exchange rates).
The air shipments are expected to start arriving in Europe this week and next, with preference given to those participating testing sessions in Italy, which take place on Sunday, March 10. The next round of the WEC season, the 6 Hours of Imola, is set to take place on April 21.
