The Iranian Grand Prix
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.
With Iran lobbing suicide drones and ballistic missiles at every military base and apartment complex from Muscat to Tel Aviv, the most important question facing the Middle East is: What does this mean for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
OK, OK, Formula 1 racing is perhaps not the greatest concern facing the world right now, but the war in Iran is certainly a concern for the league. The five red lights are set to go out to start the race at Sakhir, Bahrain — just a stone’s throw across the island nation from the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — in mid-April. One week later, drivers are supposed to put rubber compound to the road in Saudi Arabia. So far, Iran has attacked the territories of five countries that host grands prix, with the Islamic Republic reportedly launching drone strikes on Azerbaijan hours before this magazine went to press.
This war is already a crisis for many of the world’s luxury sports. As I write, Golf Digest reports that eight LIV golfers are stranded in Dubai, trying to get to the relative safety of Oman so they can catch a flight to make tee time at a tournament in Hong Kong. So far, the Saudi Pro League is pressing on with soccer matches; reports that Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo fled the kingdom this week turned out to be false, but he apparently does have a bad hammy.
Arvid Lindblad of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls leaves the garage during day three of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 20, 2026. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
This is not the first time that war has threatened motor racing. In 1939, Corps Leader Adolf Huhnlein of the National Socialist Motor Corps declared Hermann Lang to be the winner of a European Championship season that was truncated when the National Socialist Panzer Corps went through the Danzig chicane into Poland.
More recently, the 2022 Saudi Grand Prix looked a bit touch-and-go when the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at an oil depot 12 miles from the track in Jeddah during a Friday practice. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had to be told over the radio that his car was not on fire after he smelled the smoke in the cockpit.
That incident didn’t warrant a mention on that year’s season of Netflix’s sports series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Based on the new season, which was released on Feb. 27, I suspect the streaming documentarians behind the show will find a way to gloss over “Operation Epic Fury,” too.
For one thing, these issues are …
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.
With Iran lobbing suicide drones and ballistic missiles at every military base and apartment complex from Muscat to Tel Aviv, the most important question facing the Middle East is: What does this mean for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
OK, OK, Formula 1 racing is perhaps not the greatest concern facing the world right now, but the war in Iran is certainly a concern for the league. The five red lights are set to go out to start the race at Sakhir, Bahrain — just a stone’s throw across the island nation from the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — in mid-April. One week later, drivers are supposed to put rubber compound to the road in Saudi Arabia. So far, Iran has attacked the territories of five countries that host grands prix, with the Islamic Republic reportedly launching drone strikes on Azerbaijan hours before this magazine went to press.
This war is already a crisis for many of the world’s luxury sports. As I write, Golf Digest reports that eight LIV golfers are stranded in Dubai, trying to get to the relative safety of Oman so they can catch a flight to make tee time at a tournament in Hong Kong. So far, the Saudi Pro League is pressing on with soccer matches; reports that Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo fled the kingdom this week turned out to be false, but he apparently does have a bad hammy.
Arvid Lindblad of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls leaves the garage during day three of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 20, 2026. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
This is not the first time that war has threatened motor racing. In 1939, Corps Leader Adolf Huhnlein of the National Socialist Motor Corps declared Hermann Lang to be the winner of a European Championship season that was truncated when the National Socialist Panzer Corps went through the Danzig chicane into Poland.
More recently, the 2022 Saudi Grand Prix looked a bit touch-and-go when the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at an oil depot 12 miles from the track in Jeddah during a Friday practice. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had to be told over the radio that his car was not on fire after he smelled the smoke in the cockpit.
That incident didn’t warrant a mention on that year’s season of Netflix’s sports series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Based on the new season, which was released on Feb. 27, I suspect the streaming documentarians behind the show will find a way to gloss over “Operation Epic Fury,” too.
For one thing, these issues are …
The Iranian Grand Prix
Law enforcement shouldn't be political.
With Iran lobbing suicide drones and ballistic missiles at every military base and apartment complex from Muscat to Tel Aviv, the most important question facing the Middle East is: What does this mean for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
OK, OK, Formula 1 racing is perhaps not the greatest concern facing the world right now, but the war in Iran is certainly a concern for the league. The five red lights are set to go out to start the race at Sakhir, Bahrain — just a stone’s throw across the island nation from the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — in mid-April. One week later, drivers are supposed to put rubber compound to the road in Saudi Arabia. So far, Iran has attacked the territories of five countries that host grands prix, with the Islamic Republic reportedly launching drone strikes on Azerbaijan hours before this magazine went to press.
This war is already a crisis for many of the world’s luxury sports. As I write, Golf Digest reports that eight LIV golfers are stranded in Dubai, trying to get to the relative safety of Oman so they can catch a flight to make tee time at a tournament in Hong Kong. So far, the Saudi Pro League is pressing on with soccer matches; reports that Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo fled the kingdom this week turned out to be false, but he apparently does have a bad hammy.
Arvid Lindblad of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls leaves the garage during day three of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 20, 2026. (Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
This is not the first time that war has threatened motor racing. In 1939, Corps Leader Adolf Huhnlein of the National Socialist Motor Corps declared Hermann Lang to be the winner of a European Championship season that was truncated when the National Socialist Panzer Corps went through the Danzig chicane into Poland.
More recently, the 2022 Saudi Grand Prix looked a bit touch-and-go when the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at an oil depot 12 miles from the track in Jeddah during a Friday practice. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had to be told over the radio that his car was not on fire after he smelled the smoke in the cockpit.
That incident didn’t warrant a mention on that year’s season of Netflix’s sports series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Based on the new season, which was released on Feb. 27, I suspect the streaming documentarians behind the show will find a way to gloss over “Operation Epic Fury,” too.
For one thing, these issues are …
