How F1 has handled past world crisis amid race cancellation concerns

The geopolitical situation in the Middle East amid the war in Iran has left question marks over possible disruption to the upcoming 2026 Formula 1 season.

A joint attack from the US and Israel against Iran on Saturday has sparked retaliatory strikes across the region and resulted in worldwide travel chaos. 

That has impacted key personnel, drivers and media heading to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which takes place between 6-8 March, with key connecting hubs in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates being affected by the spreading conflict. 

However, race organisers for the Australian Grand Prix insist they are “really confident” the season opener will not be affected. Some reshuffling of flights for staff aside, the vast majority of air freight had already arrived in Melbourne. 

Bigger questions surround the upcoming double-header in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which are due to take place in April. 

F1’s governing body the FIA issued a statement on Monday stressing that “safety and wellbeing” will determine decisions on running the aforementioned F1 races. 

This is not the first time F1 has been impacted by world crises. Here are some past examples and how the world championship reacted…

2011 Bahraini uprising 

Bahrain experienced unrest and rioting for more than two years after being caught up in the Arab Spring, a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and civil wars in the Arab world which began at the start of 2011. 

Anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom plunged the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was due to open the new season in March, into doubt. After more than 30 people died during pro-democracy protests, the season opener was called off in February. 

The Bahrain Grand Prix was then reinstated and rescheduled for October after a state of emergency in the country was lifted.

However, after F1 teams strictly opposed former supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s plan on logistical grounds after expressing their concerns, the race was cut from the calendar altogether. 

There were demonstrations ahead of the 2012 race after a protester was shot and killed by police. Despite mounting pressure and calls for the race to be cancelled, F1 went ahead. Tensions remained high when F1 returned to Bahrain in 2013, with protests threatening to disrupt the event. Despite this, the race was held as planned. 

2020 COVID-19 pandemic 

The start of the 2020 F1 season descended into chaos and disarray after a late decision was made to call off the season-opening Australian Grand Prix over coronavirus concerns. 

F1 initially pressed on with plans to stage the race despite several members of the McLaren team testing positive for coronavirus and being placed in quarantine in their hotels for 14 days. 

This led to criticism from Lewis Hamilton, who expressed shock at F1’s decision. When asked if he knew why the race had been given the green light, he famously quipped: “Cash is king.” 

As the situation worsened, and with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring a pandemic, F1 cancelled the race on the Friday of the weekend amid mounting pressure from the teams and drivers. 

Ferrari was the first team to tell F1 bosses it was not prepared to race, with Sebastian Vettel deciding to immediately fly home. 

The coronavirus crisis would wreck havoc upon the 2020 F1 season, forcing multiple postponements and cancellations amid initial uncertainty surrounding the spread of the virus. 

Following months of global shutdown, F1 came up with a contingency to start the season with a double-header in Austria in July. F1 managed to cram 17 events into a five-month window, with the condensed 2020 season featuring no fewer than three triple-headers. 

Despite being hugely impacted, F1 was able to complete the season in which Hamilton became a seven-time world champion with Mercedes. 

COVID-19 continued to cause further disruption to F1, with races also cancelled during 2021 and paddock outbreaks sidelining drivers, before an element of normality was restored by the end of that season with fans returning to the grandstands. 

2022 Saudi Arabia missile attack 

An extraordinary situation face F1 when the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was thrown into crisis following a missile attack near the Jeddah track.

All of F1’s drivers met for over four hours after practice on Friday to hold talks with team bosses and F1 chiefs after an attack on an Aramco oil depot nine miles away from the circuit occurred just before second practice began. 

Discussions about potentially boycotting the race went on until 02:30am local time with Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly among the drivers leading concerns. The drivers eventually agreed to race despite the security worries. 

One of the main assurances the teams and drivers received was that the Houthi rebels, who took responsibility for the attack, were targeting infrastructure and not civilians or events.

The remainder of the weekend took place without further incident.

"We have received total assurance of the country's safety first," F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said. "They have placed all the systems to protect this area. So, we feel confident that we have to trust the local authority in that respect. We will of course go ahead with the event."

What options does F1 have? 

Should F1 be forced to abandon its Middle East double-header if security remains a concern and the conflict does not de-escalate, it is likely that replacement races will be found. 

Logistical considerations mean a like-for-like rescheduled double-header would most likely take place in Europe at required FIA Grade 1 listed circuits. 

Imola is an obvious venue that would be ready to host F1 at short notice. It initially returned to the schedule as an emergency replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic and then stayed until it was dropped for 2026.

The former San Marino Grand Prix venue is understood to be viewed by F1 as a ‘first reserve’ in the event of any gaps needing to be plugged. 

Another Italian track, Mugello, which hosted the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, could also step in. Other alternatives could include Portimao, which is returning to the F1 calendar in 2027 on a rotational basis, and Turkey, which is seeking a comeback. 

German venues at the Nurburgring and Hockenheim are unlikely options, but should not be completely discounted as a potential last-minute solution.