– It is now certain that the Formula 1 season opener in Australia can take place as planned despite the Middle East conflict. Former Haas team principal Günther Steiner believes, however, that the premier class only narrowly avoided a cancellation.
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“If the war had broken out earlier and that had happened last week on Thursday or Friday, something would certainly have gotten stuck on the way to Australia,” Steiner says in an interview with sport.de, recalling the importance of the Middle East for logistics.
“Most freight is delivered by Qatar Airways; they have the largest cargo fleet in the world, start in Europe, and then make a stopover in Qatar. At another time, it would have been possible for everything to be stuck in Qatar and no cars to arrive in Melbourne.”
The equipment for the season opener is transported to Australia about one and a half weeks before the race, so a large part of the freight was already on site when the USA and Israel began their attacks on Iran on Saturday.
Günther Steiner: “No worries” about China and Japan
Therefore, there is a problem almost exclusively with the personnel, who have to look for alternative flight routes to arrive in Melbourne on time. Apparently, personnel from Mercedes, McLaren, and Pirelli were even stuck in Bahrain because of the planned tire test, which was canceled at short notice after the attacks.
Q&A before the season start: Ask your questions about Formula 1 2026!
“But the start of the season is not in question at all,” Steiner emphasizes. This also applies to the next two races in China and Japan, which are also scheduled to take place as planned. “Plans are certainly already being made for how to proceed.”
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“Formula 1 is good at seizing opportunities when they exist. The logisticians are certainly already working on finding new routes. There’s no need to worry about that.” It remains unclear whether the races in Bahrain (April 12) and Saudi Arabia (April 19) can take place.
Which alternative race tracks are possible?
If there is no ceasefire by then, you can’t race there, Steiner says. “It’s simply too dangerous. If it’s not 100 percent safe, Formula 1 takes no risks. Then you just have to cancel a sporting event.”
“You can’t risk lives just because we like to see racing cars,” the former Haas team principal clarifies. However, it wouldn’t be necessary to do without entirely, as there would be the possibility of alternative race tracks, such as Istanbul and Portimao, as well as Imola or Mugello.
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A spontaneous return to Germany, as was the case during the corona pandemic in the 2020 season, is however questionable. But Günther Steiner is already convinced: “The rumor mill will certainly start soon.”
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