As many as one thousand members of the Formula One circus have been forced into last-minute travel changes to get to Melbourne’s opening round in the wake of the escalating crisis in the Middle East, and some are set to miss the start of the season entirely.
However, a larger logistical headache has been narrowly avoided, after the cars and supporting equipment were already shipped from last month’s testing in Bahrain – one of the countries drawn into the conflict – prior to this week’s widespread aviation disruptions.
Travis Auld, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, told Channel Nine on Monday the vehicles were already sitting on the main straight at Albert Park in containers, ready to be put into the garages ahead of the Formula One race weekend, which begins with practice on Friday.
He added, however, that many staff have had to make new travel arrangements to avoid international airport hubs in places such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates which have been hit by Iranian missiles.
“You’re talking about teams, drivers, Formula One personnel, I’m guessing there’d be close to a thousand people that would have already booked their flights and would be landing somewhere between today, tomorrow, Wednesday – they had to all be changed.
“But a lot of people around the world are doing the same thing and so you’re competing obviously with that increase in demand, but they’ve been able to sort it out.”
As a globetrotting sport with close ties to locations and capital in the Middle East, Formula One has been heavily affected by the the events of recent days.
Round four remains scheduled in Bahrain in early April and round five in Saudi Arabia a week later, but Formula One officials said they were monitoring the situation.
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli cancelled wet weather testing in Bahrain due to the conflict but staff were still stranded in Manama, one of the sites targeting by a drone attack.
Some members of the McLaren and Mercedes teams were reportedly also still in Bahrain, including Mercedes new third driver Frederik Vesti who posted two days ago from the track.
Auld said fans can expect to see all of Formula One’s familiar faces in Melbourne, even if he suggested not everyone will make it.
“The drivers will be here, the engineers will be here, the team principals will be here, they’re the ones that have been prioritised [for travel] and so you won’t see any sort of surprise drivers under a helmet,” he said.
“Some of the other ones [staff] are coming out now, probably you could continue the race without them, but luckily we’ve been able to get everyone that needs to be here, here.”
The president of Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, meanwhile, has said it will prioritise “safety and wellbeing” as it decides what to do about upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the middle of April.
The FIA statement also mentioned the World Endurance Championship, a leading sportscar series that opens its season in Qatar at the end of this month.
“We are in close contact with our member clubs, championship promoters, teams and colleagues on the ground as we monitor developments carefully and responsibly,” the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, posted on Instagram on Monday.
“Safety and wellbeing will guide our decisions as we assess the forthcoming events scheduled there for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the FIA Formula One World Championship. Our organization is built on unity and shared purpose. That unity matters now more than ever.”
Ben Sulayem, who is from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, said “we are deeply saddened by the loss of life and stand with the families and communities impacted,” adding that the FIA hopes for “calm, safety and a swift return to stability.”
