Abu Dhabi F1 GP 2009: A new motor-sport era in Middle East

Everybody knows that Bernie Ecclestone is one of the smartest persons in the F1 field. But with the signing of the Abu Dhabi F1 agreement with H.E. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management ADMM, he also proved that he has quite a vision for the F1 future in the Middle East region, and sees lots of potential in the Middle East region.

Of course the Middle East region does not have a Motorsport culture like it is the case in Germany or Italy, but still there were five years since the first Bahrain GP in 2004, in which the media and the F1 organizers in the Middle East had the time to create such an awareness. And it is not only about F1, it is about motor-sport in general. Ecclestone gave the Bahrain F1 GP enough time to prove itself among the rest of the racing circuits like Malaysia, China and the European ones as well. Unfortunately the public awareness of F1 in the Middle East was very modest and the organizers in Bahrain and the specialized and general interest media failed to create the public and media awareness which the Formula1 deserves through the Middle East and North Africa.

One of the main reasons why there was not a wide-spread F1-awareness in the region was surely the TV coverage and the coverage in the print media. Besides, there is not one single professional F1 website in Arabic language. Even the website of the Bahrain F1 GP is only available in English.
Although many European online operators showed interest in establishing an Arabic website, this ambitious project could never see the light. One of the reasons why this project couldn’t see the light was the fact that some PR agencies and so-called 'motor-sport' consultancies became involved in the F1 business in Bahrain and the UAE, although they lacked and still lack any knowledge about the 'Arabic-speaking' media market.

But with the signing agreement of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP between Bernie Ecclestone and Khaldoon Al Mubarak all the previous awareness will be over-written and a new dimension and motor-sport era in the Middle East starts.

The indicators for the success of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP at YAS Marina Circuit were very obvious in the official presentation ceremony held at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, which was attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, other dignitaries and the who’s who of Abu Dhabi. Not only did the organizers of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP give an exquisite VIP treatment to the local and international VIPs, but they also gave a unique VIP treatment and showed the real Arabian hospitality also to the Arab and international media representatives, which made their work much easier.
The large number of European and Arab journalists attending this ceremony just shows how much everybody is anticipating the valuable addition of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP to the 2009 F1 championship calendar and the start of the new motor-sport and F1 era in the region.

During the launch ceremony we had the chance to talk with H.E. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi Executive Authority and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management ADMM) and with Philippe Gurdjian (CEO of Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management).

Click HERE for the interviews.