F1 monitoring Middle East situation after bomb strikes

F1 is currently monitoring the situation in the Middle East after drone and missile strikes were carried out this weekend.

A joint military operation between the US and Israel saw an attack launched on Iran after a period of growing tensions.

The conflict spilt over into nearby regions, and shortly after midday in Bahrain, reports emerged that a missile had struck the north of the country.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency declared that the service centre of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet had been “subjected to a missile attack”.

It has created an air of uncertainty for the races scheduled to be held in the Middle East.

While Bahrain has served as the season-opener in the past, this year it has been slotted in as the fourth round of the year, followed by a trip to Saudi Arabia one week later.

The first three rounds will be held in the Australia-Asia region, with the season kicking off in Melbourne next weekend.

An F1 spokesperson told RacingNews365: “Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan not in the Middle East - those races are not for a number of weeks.

“As always we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities.”

It is not the first time that F1 has been forced to deal with major tensions in the region.

At the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a missile struck an Aramco facility not far from the Jeddah track during a practice session.

After a meeting involving the drivers that stretched long into the night, the event went ahead after they were assured no threat was posed to the paddock.

Even last year, an Iranian missile strike targeted an air base in Qatar on the outskirts of Doha in June - but the Qatar Grand Prix went ahead as planned in November.