Mar.7 (GMM) Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is set to meet team bosses in Melbourne on Saturday with the fate of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix expected to dominate the agenda.
Former F1 driver and GPDA chairman Alexander Wurz, speaking to Osterreich newspaper, captured the mood bluntly. “Given how the situation is escalating, I can’t imagine we’ll be able to run these Grands Prix as planned,” he said.
Domenicali has so far resisted being drawn into a firm position. “Our approach, first of all, is safety for all the relevant stakeholders, the people and also the promoter itself,” he said in Melbourne.
“We don’t want to do any statement today because things are so evolving, so changing, that we have still time to make the right decision. And this decision will be taken together. We have an open option in place.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said there had been little internal discussion so far, given the logistical effort of simply getting to Australia. But he made clear finances would not be the deciding factor.
“Obviously the sport, ourselves, the fans, the partners, our race team – all that will be of the utmost importance from a safety point of view,” he said. “If it does have a little bit of a financial impact, so be it, with what’s going on.”
Should both races be cancelled, the consensus hardening in the paddock is that they will simply be dropped from the calendar rather than replaced, leaving a month-long gap between Suzuka and Miami.
Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport’s commentator Olav Mol estimated the chances of replacement races at 50-50, with Imola and Portimao both lobbying for consideration. He also noted that not every team would be unhappy with an empty April.
“If you’re Aston Martin, you’re like ‘if we have free time, we might be able to solve some problems’. They are quite happy with it.”
Meanwhile, the Herald Sun reported that the Victorian government would be open to hosting a second race in Melbourne if F1 came looking for alternatives.
“If needed, we would absolutely be ready and willing to have a conversation,” a source told the newspaper. “Ultimately it’s up to F1, but we already host one, so why not two?”