{"id":309270,"date":"2026-03-02T10:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T10:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/309270\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T10:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T10:56:16","slug":"f1-news-what-middle-east-conflict-means-for-australian-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/309270\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: What Middle East conflict means for Australian Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"What
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAustralian GP CEO Travis Auld is expecting the race to go ahead as planned this weekend. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n

Missile strikes in the region led to the cancellation of Pirelli\u2019s final pre-season tyre test<\/a> at the Bahrain International Circuit, while airspace closures and transit hub shutdowns forced hundreds of paddock members to urgently rearrange flights to Australia.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Today show from Albert Park on Monday morning, Auld acknowledged the situation had forced last-minute changes for teams and officials heading to Australia, but said the sport\u2019s global logistics operation had responded quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe events of the weekend have certainly meant there\u2019s been some reshuffling of some travel plans,\u201d Auld said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Formula 1 organisation are very good at moving people around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they do. And so they\u2019ve been able to do that and we\u2019re not expecting any impacts on our race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Auld revealed the scale of the logistical task, estimating close to 1000 travelling personnel had already needed to alter their flights into Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean a lot of this is done by Formula 1. So you\u2019re talking about teams, drivers, Formula 1 personnel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m guessing there\u2019d be close to 1000 people that would have already booked their flights and would be landing somewhere between sort of today, tomorrow, Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they had to all be changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the global squeeze on flights, Auld said the key outcome was that the reshuffle had been successful, with freight already in Melbourne.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2019ve been able to sort it out, is the important part. All the freight is here and ready to go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so we\u2019re in a space where we\u2019re really confident there\u2019ll be no impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

F1 pre-season plunged into turmoil over Middle East conflict<\/a><\/p>\n

While contingency planning has been ongoing behind the scenes, Auld indicated critical personnel had been prioritised to ensure the event runs smoothly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure the teams, for example, have contingency plans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s obviously critical race staff, and they\u2019ve been prioritised, and they were the first ones to confirm their new flight plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also moved to calm fears about the competitive field being affected, making clear the headline names will be on the grid, along with the cars and equipment required for the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drivers will be here. The engineers will be here. The team principals will be here. They\u2019re the ones that have been prioritised,\u201d Auld said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so you won\u2019t see any sort of surprise drivers under a helmet.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The cars are] all sitting on the main straight now in containers and ready to be put in the garages ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement released over the weekend, Formula 1 confirmed the opening three rounds of the 2026 season in Australia, China and Japan are not under immediate threat despite the regional instability, and Auld echoed that confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously the circumstances have changed things in the lead up, but this is a major event,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always things you need to be able to work around and change plans and be agile.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just what the team are used to doing.\u201d<\/p>\n


\"\"\/
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