Formula 1 entered this Tuesday (03/03/2026) the season opening week with a mix of expectation in Melbourne and growing concern over instability in the Middle East, which is already starting to affect logistics and puts important stages under threat. The day’s news on F1MANIA.NET was dominated by this contrast, between the debut atmosphere in Australia and the warning signs off the tracks.
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On the Brazilian side, Gabriel Bortoleto spoke in an excited tone about the start of the championship. The driver highlighted that the pre-season served to understand the new car and the updated regulations, and made it clear that now is the moment when “things really start to matter”. He summarized the anxiety for the return of the racing routine with a direct phrase: “I live for racing”, while projecting the atmosphere of the weekend in Melbourne and the chance to revisit the circuits with a better understanding than in the previous year.
Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation continued to influence the paddock. The escalation of tension in the Middle East has already caused the cancellation of a Pirelli tire test in Bahrain, and the impact has also begun to be felt in other categories. The WEC announced the postponement of the Qatar round, which was scheduled for March 28, in Lusail, just two weeks before the F1 Bahrain GP. With the change, the World Endurance Championship informed that it will open the season on April 19, in Imola.
Formula 1, for its part, continues with two races planned in the region in this initial phase, Bahrain on April 12 and Saudi Arabia on April 19, but the scenario has become more delicate with reports of attacks affecting countries in the area. The president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, stated that the entity is monitoring the situation closely and reinforced, in an open letter, that “safety and well-being will guide our decisions regarding the next scheduled events”.
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Amidst this context, an important piece of news brought relief behind the scenes: Mercedes and McLaren employees who were stranded in Bahrain managed to leave the country and landed at Heathrow Airport in London on Tuesday night. The group had traveled for the Pirelli test, which was canceled at the last minute, and had to remain in hotels while the airspace remained closed. Part of the Mercedes staff is already expected to travel to Melbourne and is expected in Australia by Thursday night. Among the names involved were Nyck de Vries, who was to represent McLaren in the test, and Fred Vesti, scheduled by Mercedes.
Off the track, the team principal market returned to speculation with a strong opinion from Juan Pablo Montoya. The former driver suggested that Ferrari should consider Christian Horner, while acknowledging that it would be a process that would require patience. “It would be a program of at least four years,” said Montoya, arguing that the team would need to remain united for a reconstruction of this scale to work.
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