F1 staff hit by travel chaos as racing bosses insist Australian Grand Prix will go ahead as planned

Formula One chiefs have promised to make 'safety and wellbeing' a priority as the sport's rulers grapple with the fall-out from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

This weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix is not under threat but concerns are mounting over whether next month's Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races will be able to go ahead.

According to The Sun, around 2,000 Formula One staff members have been forced to seek out alternative travel arrangements to get Down Under after many had remained in Bahrain following pre-season testing.

Airports in the Middle East have been closed after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, who have since retaliated. 

Some members of the McLaren and Mercedes teams were, according to Sky Sports Formula One correspondent Craig Slater, still in Bahrain, after a two-day tyre test at the Bahrain International Circuit was cancelled.

'They are still working on an exit strategy to get those people out (of Bahrain),' Slater said on Monday.

Formula One bosses have insisted that they are intently watching the unfolding conflict in the Middle East as the 2025 season gets underway in Melbourne this week 

Thousands of Formula One staffers have been left seeking alternative arrangements to travel to Melbourne ahead of this weekend's race

Australian Grand Prix boss Travis Auld stated on Monday that the race will go ahead as planned

The escalation in conflict has raised questions over the scheduling of upcoming races in the Middle East, with the Bahrain Grand Prix set to take place on April 12 and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to commence on April 19.   

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of F1's governing body, the FIA, said in a social media post on Monday that developments were being watched carefully. 

He said: '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 wellbeing will guide our decisions as we assess the forthcoming events scheduled there for the World Endurance Championship and the Formula One World Championship. Our organisation is built on unity and shared purpose. That unity matters now more than ever.'

The Endurance Championship is a leading sportscar event due to open its season in Qatar at the end of March.

Meanwhile, Australian Grand Prix chief executive officer Travis Auld has also played down any fear that the season-opening race could be postponed. 

'The last 48 hours have required some reshuffling of flights. That is largely Formula One's responsibility,'  Auld said during a press conference today.

'They take charge of the teams and the drivers and all the personnel that are required here to make this event happen, and there's quite a number of them.

Some members of the McLaren and Mercedes teams were said to be stuck in Bahrain following a testing session last week 

A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates

A missile launched from Iran is pictured in the sky from the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 1

'My understanding from talking to them this morning, is that's all now been locked in, everyone will be here ready for the race, and for fans, they won't notice any difference.

'There are some drivers already in Australia, there are some team members already in Australia, but there are a number in the UK and broadly throughout Europe that need to get here, so they've just had to find another way, so that's been a process for them, and I'm sure it's been a lot of work on their behalf.'

Elsewhere, former US Open tennis champion Daniil Medvedev has indicated he's one of what the ATP Tour calls 'a small number of players and team members' they are trying to help leave Dubai.

Medvedev's Instagram account reposted on Monday a report from a Russian-language tennis outlet, Bolshe, which said he was safe and staying at a friend's apartment in Dubai, amid flight cancellations after winning the ATP event there last week.

'The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event,' the ATP Tour said in a statement Monday.

'They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament's official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.'

Medvedev and others are due to play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, where main-draw matches start on Wednesday.

Football's 'Finalissima' match between Spain and Argentina in Doha on March 27 is in doubt after the Qatar Football Association suspended all tournaments indefinitely.

Euroleague Basketball have cancelled the NextGen EuroLeague qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi, and basketball's world governing body, FIBA, have called off four games in Beirut and Doha ahead of the second window of the 2027 World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

With agencies