F1 tyre test cancelled as Bahrain hit by Iran missile attacks

Pirelli have confirmed that their planned wet weather tyre test scheduled for Bahrain this weekend has been cancelled.

The F1 tyre manufacturer was due to run two days of testing ahead of the new season, but disruption in the region following strikes on Iran has seen them call off the event.

The US and Israel began a bombing campaign in Iran on Saturday, with Iran retaliating by launching strikes targeting a number of US bases in nearby countries.

One of those countries is Bahrain, where F1 teams recently held their pre-season testing, with videos on social media showing explosions apparently just 20km away from the F1 circuit in Sakhir.

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Pirelli statement on F1 tyre test

A statement from Pirelli provided to GPFans read: “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.

“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.”

F1 has released its own statement, moving quickly to calm fears that its upcoming calendar could be affected. Notably the Bahrain Grand Prix (April 12) and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (April 19).

The statement from an F1 spokesperson read: “Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan not in the Middle East – those races are not for a number of weeks.

“As always we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities.”

Wait, were F1 testing wet tyres in the desert?

Departing Pirelli chief Mario Isola justified the logic of having a wet tyre test in the desert earlier this month, explaining: “They have a fantastic idea with sprinklers and some other devices. I have to say that Bahrain people are always very cooperative when we ask for strange requests.

“I gave a call to the guys here [in Bahrain] and I said, ‘what if we plan a wet test in Bahrain?’ They said 'yes, of course we can'.

“I asked ‘Are you sure? Let us think about it. But we need consistency in the water level because clearly the risk is that inconsistency in water level is more important than the difference in prototypes'. But they were clear. ‘Yeah, understood, we will consider to prepare the track and everything'."

Those wet tyres could yet come into play next weekend in Melbourne too, as weather warnings have been put in place throughout the state of Victoria, which Melbourne lies in.

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and flash flooding are expected in the region on Tuesday, just three days out from the start of the grand prix weekend, and this could affect teams and paddock personnel as they arrive to set up their stalls for the weekend.

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