F1 assures teams Middle East races will go ahead

Formula 1 has assured its 11 teams its business as usual for the two Middle East races set to finish the season. The message came after Yamaha withdrew its entry from this weekend's MotoGP race in Qatar at the Losail circuit also hosting F1 on Nov. 29.

In a statement, Yamaha's MotoGP team said it found "no sufficient grounds" to alter its travel policy which currently restricts travel to the Middle East due to the war in Iran earlier this year.

After the Qatar Grand Prix, F1 is due to travel to Abu Dhabi for the season-ender on Dec. 6.

Formula 1's message, seen by ESPN, was an update on the Yamaha and Moto GP situation -- the championships are both run by Liberty Media -- and reiterated that…