LONDON: Formula Two is considering alternative race options if its scheduled rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month are cancelled due to conflict in the region.
“I think they’re looking at some potential alternatives,” Dan Towriss told reporters in a video call after Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
Towriss, whose American test driver Colton Herta competes in Formula Two with Hitech Grand Prix, said the situation remained uncertain.
“There may be another F2 race opportunity that comes up and so we’ll see what happens. I don’t think we know enough yet to know how big or how long, how extended that break will be for Colton,” he said.
Formula Two has a pre-season test scheduled in Bahrain from March 25-27 ahead of the race weekend set for April 10-12, and a decision on those events could come before any move by Formula One.
If the Middle Eastern rounds are cancelled following U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran and retaliatory Iranian drone and missile attacks targeting some Gulf capitals, Formula Two would not have another race scheduled until the round in Monaco on June 4-7. Formula One, meanwhile, is due to race at the Miami Grand Prix and Canadian Grand Prix in May.
A Formula Two source told Reuters that a standalone race in Europe could potentially fill the gap, provided a circuit with the required timing infrastructure was available, though no decision has been taken and there is no consensus yet.
Formula One is expected to wait as long as possible before deciding on the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races, though current expectations are that both events could be cancelled without replacement.
The freight deadline for the Bahrain round comes after next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
“We’ll let the officials do what they need to do and I have every confidence that they’ll make the right decision for the sport,” Towriss said.
