Hundreds of Formula One team personnel are stranded in Bahrain after airspace closures triggered by Middle East conflict, but Australian GP chief Travis Auld says Melbourne's season-opener will not be affected.
Formula One personnel remain stranded in Bahrain after the country shut its airspace, leaving them with no immediate route out.
Key Points
- Mercedes, McLaren and Pirelli staff are among those affected.
- The disruption follows US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory action across the Gulf region.
- F1 teams had recently completed pre-season testing in Bahrain.
- Mercedes and McLaren had left their mule cars in Bahrain for the test.
Hundreds of staff from Mercedes, McLaren and tyre supplier Pirelli are reportedly confined to their hotels, while those who managed to depart earlier are scrambling to reach Melbourne via lengthy reroutes through Hong Kong and Singapore.
With the Australian Grand Prix just days away, there is still no clarity on when Bahrain's airspace will reopen.
Pirelli had cancelled its scheduled two-day wet-weather tyre test at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir after nearby missile strikes early Saturday.
Mercedes and McLaren had left their mule cars in Bahrain for the test, while Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti was among those present in the country for the planned running.
But Australian Grand Prix chief executive Travis Auld anticipates no impact on this weekend's Formula One season-opener at Melbourne's Albert Park from the travel issues caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
The US and Israeli bombing of Iran at the weekend was followed by retaliatory strikes on Gulf States with the result that all activity in one of the world's main aviation hubs has ceased.
Formula One teams recently completed pre-season testing in the Gulf State of Bahrain and many team personnel were scheduled to pass through Qatar or the United Arab Emirates on their journey to Australia for Sunday's race.
"F1 are experts at moving people around the world and so they've quickly rescheduled flights. I'm told, everyone's now locked in and arriving within the required timeframes, and so there'll be no impact on our race. But it's certainly been a busy 48 hours, particularly for F1," Auld told Fox Sports on Monday.
The season-opener will be followed later in March by races in China and Japan before the first of the Gulf races on the Formula One calendar in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.
"I'm sure (F1) are thinking ahead to what the implications might be," he added.
"As it stands at the moment, there are no issues for us, but I'd imagine beyond us, they'll be thinking about what they might do to their calendar if they need to."
Auld said that the nature of the Albert Park venue made it unlikely that Melbourne would be able to step in and stage another race if the conflict meant Bahrain or Saudi Arabia were unable to host their rounds.
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