MELBOURNE, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Organizers of the Formula One Australian Grand Prix said Monday that the season-opening race will go ahead as planned on Sunday despite travel disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
Travis Auld, chief executive officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, said at a press conference in Melbourne that the disruption for officials, team members and drivers is not expected to affect the first race weekend of the season.
Auld said mass flight cancellations in and out of the Middle East, amid U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, have forced some teams to adjust travel plans. He added that F1 officials have taken the lead in managing logistics to ensure drivers and team personnel arrive in Melbourne safely.
"Everyone will be here ready for the race, and for fans, they won't notice any difference," Auld said.
"There are some drivers already in Australia, there are some team members already in Australia, but there are a number in the UK and broadly throughout Europe that need to get here, so they've just had to find another way. That's been a process for them, and I'm sure it's been a lot of work on their behalf."
Local media in the UK reported that up to 2,000 F1 workers had to reorganize flights from Europe to Melbourne to avoid stopovers in the Middle East, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday that an estimated 500 staffers will be flown to Australia on three chartered flights.
F1 tire supplier Pirelli canceled a test scheduled at the Bahrain International Circuit on Saturday and Sunday due to safety reasons. Formula One said it is monitoring the situation in the Middle East ahead of scheduled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.
Practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix are set to begin at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday. ■
