MELBOURNE, Australia — As crowds filtered into Melbourne’s Albert Park on Friday for Formula 1’s first day of practice ahead of its 2026 season opener, there were questions. And lots of them.
The first, and most pressing, at the milestone 40th Australian Grand Prix was the potential postponement or cancellation of upcoming F1 races in the Middle East — Bahrain on April 12 and Saudi Arabia a week later.
That’s due to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has made travel difficult due to closed air spaces and made it dangerous to be in the region. F1’s governing body, FIA, has already postponed the curtain raiser in Qatar for the World Endurance Championship sports car series, which slated to be held March 26-28.
And while FIA and Formula One Management, the sport’s commercial rights holder, are monitoring the situation in real time — with a focus on the safety and well being of all concerned — an announcement is expected soon.
In the F1 paddock, though, where performance is king, the biggest question mark is the sport’s reshuffled pecking order as a result of new technical regulations — including the position of new American startup squad, General Motors-sponsored Cadillac.