‘Hairy weekend’: The midnight call from F1 headquarters that put the Australian GP on edge

Australian Grand Prix Corporation chair Martin Pakula has admitted he was fearful some Formula 1 teams would not make to make it to Melbourne because of the war in the Middle East. SportMotorsportAustralian Grand Prix‘Hairy weekend’: The midnight call from F1 headquarters that put the Australian GP on edgeBy Cara Waters, Hannah Kennelly and Sam McClure March 5, 2026 — 1.06pmSaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementAustralian Grand Prix Corporation chair Martin Pakula has admitted he was fearful some Formula 1 teams would not make to make it to Melbourne because of the war in the Middle East.After denials all week from grand prix officials that the Australian Grand Prix could be impacted by the conflict between Iran, Israel and the US, Pakula revealed on Thursday morning that it had been “a hairy weekend”.Australian Grand Prix Corporation chair Martin Pakula.“We didn’t have war breaking out on our bingo card of things that might go wrong,” Pakula said at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce Grand Prix breakfast.He received a phone call at 11.45pm on Saturday night from Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula 1, and immediately thought it was unlikely to be good news.LoadingIsrael and the US attacked Iran in a joint military strike on Saturday, killing the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and attacking targets in Tehran and other major cities.The bombings prompted the closure of the major airport hubs in Doha and Dubai – which are key airports and flight pathways for many F1 teams and staff travelling to Melbourne.Travel arrangements from Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, and the United Kingdom were among the key changes required after original flights were cancelled.Pakula said he was always confident the race would go ahead but thought it might have to proceed without some of the teams.AdvertisementLoading“There were moments when we weren’t sure all the teams were going to get here,” he said. “I thought rather than 11 teams on the grid, we might have had nine or 10, which would have been very, very disappointing but wouldn’t have stopped the event going ahead.”Pakula said he didn’t want to stage a “compromised event” given the amount of that had been put in.“It would have been such a shame,” he said. “It would have been so disappointing.”He was relieved when all teams had made it to Melbourne and that “all’s well that end’s well”.More to comeNews, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.SaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.License this articleAustralian Grand PrixMiddle East at warIranMiddle EastMartin PakulaCara Waters is the city editor for The Age.Connect via Twitter, Facebook or email.Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.Sam McClure is an award-winning AFL journalist and broadcaster.Connect via Twitter or email.Most Viewed in SportLoadingFrom our partnersLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad contentLoading 3rd party ad contentAdvertisement