Max Verstappen has moved to clarify his position on F1's planned season finale in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, insisting he never said he refused to race there despite his earlier warnings over the regional conflict.
The four-time F1 drivers' champion caused a stir in late September when he told Viaplay that F1 "shouldn't go" to the Middle East if neighbouring countries remained in conflict, regardless of existing contracts.
That intervention came amid a turbulent year for the championship in the region, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix already cancelled and the Bahrain round shifted to Sepang in October, from its original April slot.
Tensions have continued since the war first broke out in March — just a week before the F1 curtain raiser in Melbourne — with recent strikes against Iran and Houthi missile attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including King Khalid International Airport and Aramco's headquarters, fuelling fresh safety concerns.
Formula 1 has kept Imola on standby as a possible replacement finale on 6 December, though organisers in Abu Dhabi and Qatar insist the races remain on as scheduled.
Asked whether his earlier comments meant he could consider boycotting the two rounds, Verstappen pushed back on the suggestion.
"I said that I didn't want to race there? I just said that I love going there, but, of course, under the right terms," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.
"But I trust that F1 and then the FIA will take the right decision because they will have more information than us, and that's what we rely on."
Asked directly if that ruled out a boycott, Verstappen replied: "Like I said, I trust that they make the right call."
It echoes the sentiment of his original Viaplay remarks, in which he stressed the decision sat above the drivers.
"Normally I am happy to go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi, but you know, when there is a war nearby, and if some of the countries are in conflict with each other, then I think we shouldn't go.
"Then, it doesn't matter if you have a contract or not, I think. But it's not up to me," he said at the time.
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