F1 teams in Bahrain at a standstill due to Middle East unrest: here's the latest

Following an initial attack by Iran on Bahrain, the country’s airspace was shut down, bringing air traffic across much of the surrounding region to a complete halt. Mercedes, McLaren and Pirelli are jointly assessing every possible solution to return their staff home or move them on to the Australian Grand Prix, but — as many stranded tourists are also experiencing — leaving the country is currently not an option.

According to sources directly involved, repatriating team personnel remains the absolute priority. The specific measures under consideration are being deliberately kept out of the public domain for security reasons.

At the same time, Mercedes, McLaren and Pirelli are aware that facilitating the departure of Formula 1 teams and drivers is not among the local authorities’ immediate priorities.

The key question now is when Bahrain’s airspace will reopen — and, crucially, when airlines will feel confident enough to resume flights to the country. Several Middle Eastern media outlets suggest air travel may not restart until March 7 at the earliest.

For now, however, that remains pure speculation. Teams find themselves at the mercy of rapidly evolving geopolitical developments, with no clear indication of when the attacks might come to an end.

What is certain is that all teams and drivers are safe. For the time being, they remain confined to their hotels with little to do but wait. Nyck de Vries — who had been scheduled to test with McLaren — shared updates on social media showing him staying active in the gym and making the most of the unexpected downtime.