Is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix threatened following the attacks in Armenia?
While Russia declared war on Ukraine, the Formula 1 world had rallied and, after several weeks, one of the consequences had been the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix. Will the same be true for Azerbaijan, which has just attacked Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenia?
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been held since its creation in 2017 amid certain controversies and tensions. Indeed, this country has been engaged in armed conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on a regular basis, with the most recent conflict dating back to 2020. At that time, bombings were taking place in this Armenian enclave surrounded by Azerbaijan.
Baku published videos last night, Tuesday, of attacks and bombings carried out again in Nagorno-Karabakh. These attacks, officially “against terrorists,” are condemned by the Armenian authorities and raise many questions about the holding of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Formula 1 next year.
« There are currently 32 deaths and over 200 injured people, including seven deaths (including two children) and 35 injured (including 13 children) among the civilian population», commented Anahit Manassian, the authority-appointed leader responsible for human rights protection, on her Facebook page, as reported by Le Figaro.
The F1 calendar schedules the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2024 for September 15, 2024. Azerbaijan, after its strikes on Tuesday, announced the reinstatement of a curfew and does not wish to escalate the conflict.
However, during the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine, the FIA and the world of F1 came together and decided, among other things, to exclude Russian drivers and events from any international competition, in support of Ukraine.
So far, no driver has reacted to the events in Armenia.
