With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East causing widespread disruptions to travel, Formula One officials have chartered flights to get key team staff to Melbourne for this weekend’s 2026 Australian Grand Prix, according to The Athletic.
About 1,500 paddock personnel, including team staff, race organisers and officials, and media and hospitality personnel, typically attend such a race, scheduled for March 8 at Melbourne’s Albert Park track.
Many of these were scheduled to pass through airports in the Middle East, which serve as major worldwide transportation hubs, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar.
Retaliatory missile strikes continued to shake the region after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, leading to temporary closures of airspace around these countries and causing a large percentage of flights in the area to be canceled.
“You’re talking about teams, drivers, Formula One personnel,” Australian Grand Prix CEO Travis Auld told Australian network Channel Nine.
All the freight is here and ready to go and we’re in a space where we’re confident there’ll be no impact [on the race by the travel disruption]. The drivers will be here, the engineers will be here, the team principals will be here. They’re the ones who have been prioritised
— Travis Auld, Australian Grand Prix CEO
“I’m guessing there’d be close to 1,000 people who would have already booked their flights and would be landing somewhere between Monday and Wednesday.
“They had to all be changed, but a lot of people around the world are on the same thing and you’re competing with that increase in demand. But they’ve been able to sort it out and that is the important part.”
All equipment needed to conduct the race was sent to Melbourne ahead of the attacks.
“All the freight is here and ready to go and we’re in a space where we’re confident there’ll be no impact [on the race by the travel disruption],” added Auld. “The drivers will be here, the engineers will be here, the team principals will be here. They’re the ones who have been prioritised.”
Sunday’s race kicks off the F1 season, which then goes to China and Japan before heading to the Middle East for races in Bahrain (April 12) and Saudi Arabia (April 19).
Reuters
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