The ongoing tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States have also started affecting the sporting world. With missile attacks reported in parts of Bahrain and other areas of the Middle East, it is still unclear whether Formula 1 races in the region will go ahead as planned.
For Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, racing is not the main focus right now. He said the situation in the region is serious, and it would feel awkward to even begin conversations about hosting Grand Prix races at the moment.
Due to the security crisis several Gulf countries have closed their airspace. This created huge logistic issues, forcing athletes, team members, and Formula 1 personnel to rearrange their travel plans while making their way to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix.
Formula One has said it is monitoring the situation, with Bahrain hosting F1’s fourth round from April 10-12 and Saudi Arabia staging the fifth a week later.
“First of all, Formula One in a way becomes the second priority,” Wolff told a press conference on Friday at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“It’s (Middle East situation) such an important topic in the region that it’s even quite difficult, I guess, to talk to the local leaders and say: ‘What about the grand prix?’
“I would very much hope we race. Is it realistic that we race there at the moment? I’m not quite sure.”
Oscar Piastri leads the way from Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in second practice 😮💨
Here’s your full classification from FP2 ⬇️ #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/HYKNKqkp9c
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 6, 2026
Wolff said it was up to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and the governing FIA to manage the situation while respecting the current challenges faced by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
“My hunch is I would very much hope we race … But again, I leave it to Stefano to manage that situation,” the Austrian added.
“I hope generally it gets better there so we are able to come back as soon as possible.”
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said the team were monitoring the geopolitical situation carefully but would take advice from F1.
“In our sport, a week’s a long time,” Wheatley told Reuters in Melbourne. “Two weeks is an eternity and so it feels like a long way away yet to be speculating about whether a race will happen or not.”
The war in the Middle East has also put MotoGP’s Qatar Grand Prix in doubt. Carmelo Ezpeleta, the motorcycling series boss, said on Wednesday it would be very difficult to go ahead with the April 10-12 race at the Lusail circuit outside Doha.
The World Endurance Championship called off its season-opening race in Qatar scheduled for March 26-28.
