Let me say this first: It feels trivial to worry about the likelihood of a couple of Formula 1 races while missiles fly over the Middle East. That said, the F1 circus is a significant economic force involving thousands of people, and that’s not counting the tens of thousands of fans who attend each race. So whenever a crisis of this magnitude occurs, reconsidering a sporting event is worth discussing.
After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran over the weekend, the entirety of the Middle East became engulfed in military conflict. As a result, the FIA must now face the possibility of altering the Formula 1 World Championship’s schedule.
According to Formula 1, the situation is being monitored: “Our next three races are in Australia, China, and Japan, and not in the Middle East — those races are not for a number of weeks,” an F1 spokesperson told ESPN. “As always, we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem took to Instagram to share the following statement: “We are in close contact with our Member Clubs, championship promoters, teams, and colleagues on the ground as we monitor developments carefully and responsibly. Safety and well-being will guide our decisions as we assess the forthcoming events scheduled there for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the FIA Formula One World Championship. Our organisation is built on unity and shared purpose. That unity matters now more than ever.”
While these races may be weeks away, the effects are already being felt in that part of the world. Many F1 personnel, journalists, and fans traveling to Australia for the season-opening race were left without travel accommodations after all airlines canceled their routes through Middle Eastern airspace. People traveling from Europe were forced to head west, stop in the U.S., then continue over the Pacific toward Asia before reaching Australia.
F1 heads to China and then Japan in March before continuing to the Middle East, but that only gives the FIA roughly five weeks between events, meaning they have only one to two weeks at most to make a timely decision regarding the future of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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