F1 reported this Saturday (28) that it is monitoring the situation in the Middle East amid attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran. The concern arises on the eve of the start of the season and just a few weeks before the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for April.
Iranian military forces attacked facilities in the US and other Gulf countries — including F1 hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates — in response to a joint offensive by the United States and Israel.
The Bahrain GP is scheduled for April 10th to 12th, and the Saudi Arabian GP takes place a week later, between April 17th and 19th.
Although the races have continued for now, Pirelli, F1’s official tire supplier, has canceled its wet track tests at the Bahrain International Circuit, scheduled to take place between February 28th and March 1st.
“The two days of development tests for the wet floor compounds were canceled for safety reasons, due to the evolution of the international situation”, informed the company.
“All Pirelli employees in Manama are safely in their hotels. The company works to ensure their protection and arrange for them to return home as quickly as possible,” the statement added.
The F1 season begins next week in Melbourne, Australia, between March 6th and 8th, followed by stages in China, from March 13th to 15th, and Japan, from March 27th to 29th. A spokesperson for the category acknowledged the situation, but highlighted that the championship remains in East Asia before returning to the Gulf.
“Our next three races will be in Australia, China and Japan, not in the Middle East; these races will only take place in a few weeks,” he said in a statement. “As always, we are closely monitoring situations like this and working closely with the appropriate authorities.”
