Pirelli’s planned two-day wet-weather development test at the Bahrain International Circuit was abandoned for security reasons following strikes in the country.
The unusual February 28-March 1 session, which was set to artificially soak the Skhir track to gather key wet tyre data, was due to feature mule cars supplied by Mercedes and McLaren.
Instead, it was called off after Iranian forces launched retaliatory strikes in response to joint military action by the United States and Israel, with reports confirming a missile hit the service centre of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
In a statement, Pirelli confirmed the cancellation and the safety of its staff.
“The two days of development tests for wet-weather compounds, scheduled for today and tomorrow at the Bahrain International Circuit, have been cancelled for security reasons following the evolving international situation,” a spokesperson said.
“All Pirelli personnel currently in Manama are safe in their hotels.
“The company is working to ensure their safety and arrange their return to Italy and the UK as soon as possible.”
The disruption comes just days out from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, with around 2000 F1 and team personnel now facing significant travel complications.
Airspace closures and the shutdown of major transit hubs in Doha and Dubai have forced paddock members to reroute via Hong Kong and Singapore.
Others are travelling directly to Perth before making the domestic connection across to Melbourne.
Despite the upheaval, F1 has stressed that the opening three rounds of the 2026 season — in Australia, China and Japan — are not under immediate threat.
“Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan, not in the Middle East – those races are not for a number of weeks,” an F1 spokesperson said.
“As always we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities.”
Bahrain, which has previously hosted the season opener, is scheduled as the fourth round of the 2026 campaign on April 12, followed by Saudi Arabia one week later.
While both events remain on the calendar for now, F1 is understood to have contingency plans in place should the security situation deteriorate further.
F1 has weathered security scares in the region before, including the 2022 missile strike near Jeddah and an Iranian strike near Doha last year, with both race weekends ultimately proceeding.
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