The current war in the Middle East continues between the US, Israel and Iran, leading to continuous questions surrounding the F1 calendar. In April, two races are set to take place in the region, in Sakhir and Jeddah.
The host country of the first one, Bahrain, claimed that a water desalination plant has been damaged by an Iranian drone attack. Additionally, the United States has ordered all of its' non-essential diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia.
As of this Monday (9 March) Iran has also ruled out a ceasefire, as Israel Defence Forces claimed that "approximately 3,400 strikes" had been carried out so far, with more than 150 Iranian defence systems disabled.
There has been no decision on whether these two Grands Prix will go ahead.
WEC's season-opening round in Qatar has already been postponed.
Before the Australian GP, Mercedes CEO and Toto Wolff stated about the situation: "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."
This news also comes shortly after Zak Brown gave a statement on the conflict. He said: “There's been very little communication about it. yet because of the effort that it took just to get here to Australia. For the sport, fans, partners, and the race teams themselves, it’s of the utmost importance that safety comes first. We’ll see how it develops and then make the right decision for the health of everyone involved in this sport.”
Asked whether the potential cancellation of these Grands Prix will have a financial impact, Brown stated: “Probably. It all kind of depends. Do the races get replaced? Do they get delayed? And the economics around that. But I think given what's going on, that's the least, you know, we're not bothered. If it does have a little bit of a financial impact, that's, you know, so be it with what's going on.”
Prior to the Australian GP, Carlos Sainz also gave his view on the current situation for the
Bahrain Grand Prix:
“My honest opinion, I think F1 and FIA are a lot better informed about what's going on with the contacts they have in the Middle East and in the world than what 22 drivers can know or do."
Sainz continued: "I think we are at the mercy of what the top management of the sport decides to do, and I'm pretty confident they will make the right decision when it's the moment to make the decision. But being so far away still from that race, I don't think it's worth wasting too much energy on thinking about what's going to happen."
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