Australian Grand Prix organisers say they are “really confident” the travel chaos caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will not impact the opening race of the Formula 1 season this weekend.
Close to 1,000 members of staff have been forced to rearrange flights, with an estimated 500 of them reportedly set to be flown from Europe on charter planes.
It comes after the US and Israel launched an attack against Iran on Saturday, sparking retaliatory strikes across the region.
F1 also said it was “closely monitoring” the situation, with upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled in April.
Australian Formula 1 chief Travis Auld said on Monday that “everyone will be here ready for the race” as Melbourne prepares to host the 2026 curtain-raiser.
Many drivers and other key personnel based in Europe have had travel plans affected by the major disruption to global air transport, with key routes through Qatar and the United Arab Emirates impacted.
“The last 48 hours have required some reshuffling of flights,” Auld said.
“That is largely Formula 1’s responsibility. They take charge of the teams, drivers and all the personnel that are required here to make this event happen. There’s quite a number of them.
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Auld told Australian broadcaster Channel Nine that three charter planes would fly an estimated 500 of the near-1,000 affected F1 staff from Europe.
“All the freight is here and ready to go. We’re in a space where we’re really confident there will be no impact,” Auld said.
F1 heads to China and Japan – which are not expected to be impacted – before rounds four and five are scheduled in Bahrain (12 April) and Saudi Arabia (19 April).
An F1 spokesperson said: “Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan and 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.”
Auld, speaking to Fox Sports, said: “I’m sure [F1] are thinking ahead to what the implications might be.
Australian Grand Prix organisers say they are “really confident” the travel chaos caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will not impact the opening race of the Formula 1 season this weekend.
Close to 1,000 members of staff have been forced to rearrange flights, with an estimated 500 of them reportedly set to be flown from Europe on charter planes.
It comes after the US and Israel launched an attack against Iran on Saturday, sparking retaliatory strikes across the region.
F1 also said it was “closely monitoring” the situation, with upcoming races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia scheduled in April.
Australian Formula 1 chief Travis Auld said on Monday that “everyone will be here ready for the race” as Melbourne prepares to host the 2026 curtain-raiser.
Many drivers and other key personnel based in Europe have had travel plans affected by the major disruption to global air transport, with key routes through Qatar and the United Arab Emirates impacted.
“The last 48 hours have required some reshuffling of flights,” Auld said.
“That is largely Formula 1’s responsibility. They take charge of the teams, drivers and all the personnel that are required here to make this event happen. There’s quite a number of them.
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Auld told Australian broadcaster Channel Nine that three charter planes would fly an estimated 500 of the near-1,000 affected F1 staff from Europe.
“All the freight is here and ready to go. We’re in a space where we’re really confident there will be no impact,” Auld said.
F1 heads to China and Japan – which are not expected to be impacted – before rounds four and five are scheduled in Bahrain (12 April) and Saudi Arabia (19 April).
An F1 spokesperson said: “Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan and 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.”
Auld, speaking to Fox Sports, said: “I’m sure [F1] are thinking ahead to what the implications might be.
You do not have to look far on social media to find images and videos of footballers in unlikely or bizarre situations.
Scroll through TikTok and you may soon stumble across Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo cutting each other’s hair, or boarding the Titanic in Edwardian dress. You might even see Kylian Mbappe on a ski-lift with a turtle.
This is the result of the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Or, more precisely, AI ‘slop’.
AI can be asked to deliver pretty much anything. By anyone. The tools are becoming ever more sophisticated and easily accessible.
It will become even harder to spot what is real and what is, in AI terms, deepfake.
It may seem, for the most part, like harmless fun. After all, who really thinks Messi and Ronaldo have been serving burgers?
Options are limited for players to take action
As football has become a commercial juggernaut, players and clubs have had to learn how to look after their brands.
That could be by protecting the club crest or challenging the use of a player’s name in unauthorised promotional material.
Take Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who has trademarked the term ‘Cold Palmer’ with the UK government’s Intellectual Property Office. The 23-year-old did the same with his name, autograph and signature ‘shivering’ celebration.
Creating protections is one thing. Being able to tackle this new AI world of relentless content is another.
In the UK there is limited legislation covering someone’s likeness. Or, as it is called in football, image rights.
Jonty Cowan, legal director at law firm Wiggin LLP, told BBC Sport that AI was presenting “lots of novel challenges”.
“Various governments around the world are trying to figure out… how do we react to AI?” said Cowan.
AI is being used to put players into real-life scenarios, as well as those more obviously fake.
Take the unveilings of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi by Manchester City in January.
The club’s official photographs show each player with director of football Hugo Viana. Yet before those pictures had even been taken, you could find AI images of Semenyo and Guehi signing a contract alongside manager Pep Guardiola.
There was another of Semenyo being greeted at the training centre by former player Yaya Toure, whose old squad number – 42 – he was expected to take.
None of these events happened, but it was impossible to tell the pictures were fake.
Once again, it did not happen but looks so realistic.
And Cowan said it was difficult for there to be any recourse when content is presented “in a non-contentious manner”.
Unless a person has suffered commercial or reputational damage, options are limited.
“It’s always been quite challenging for an individual to enforce IP rights,” Cowan said. “If it is a deepfake that is showing them in a compromising position, let’s say, that’s different.”
The Data (Use and Access) Act came into force last month, making it a criminal offence to create, share or request a sexually explicit deepfake.
But then you have AI-generated videos such as Celtic’s Luke McCowan punching an assistant referee. Could it damage his reputation, or is it just not believeable?
A more pressing concern for players might be ‘passing off’. This is where someone unfairly associates their own products or services with the reputation and goodwill of an established brand or business – or player.
It is intended to mislead consumers into believing they connected to it – to the detriment of the established brand.
Cowan explained that in December 2024, as part of an AI-related consultation, the UK government said it was considering “introducing some kind of personality right”.
That would give a player more scope to take action.
Clubs, for their part, have a few more options open to them.
Social media accounts putting players in the shirts of their new team – or any team – is nothing new.
But what if a club wanted to take issue?
“Where you’ve got, for example, the Man City kit they could look at other IP rights,” Cowan said.
“Have they infringed the trademark in their crest? Or design rights in their shirt? For that kind of image, that’s what a club or an individual would likely be looking at.”
BBC Sport understands City believe fans know official channels remain the only places to go for any genuine news, images or videos.
Tackling platforms more realistic than court action
While clubs and players might consider taking the creators of AI images to court, it is a long and costly fight.
Cowan says there is a quicker and cheaper route: challenge the platforms directly.
“The Online Safety Act has been introduced in the UK recently, and that is putting an obligation on platforms to tackle illegal content,” he added.
“It may well be that we will see more mechanisms that platforms will introduce to have that content taken down. Often, that is the easiest and quickest way to tackle these images.”
This could lead to a growth in companies looking after the digital rights of clubs and players.
Those that already exist scrape websites and apps – using AI, of course – to identify where a company’s intellectual property or a person’s image might have been used.
Bad actors may use AI for nefarious means
AI presents opportunities as well as problems. Adverts and promotional material can be created without players even needing to leave their homes.
But alongside the genuine AI-generated adverts, it is easy for unauthorised parties to take a player’s likeness and use it to promote their business.
Last year the oversight board that runs Meta’s appeals process banned an advert for a gambling app on Facebook that was created using AI.
It featured a manipulated video of former Brazil striker Ronaldo which imitated his voice. It was not picked up by Meta’s automated detection tools.
Meta was told to create “easily identifiable indicators that distinguish AI content” to prevent “significant amounts of scam content”.
It was a prime example of a platform being challenged and forced to act.
The Football Association has had to tackle controversy, too.
England head coach Gareth Southgate was targeted during Euro 2024. Fake AI-generated interviews showed Southgate making derogatory remarks about his players.
The videos were reported and taken down. They were found to have breached TikTok’s AI-generated policy, which forbids content that “falsely shows public figures in certain contexts”.
Should users be forced to say they have used AI?
Scrolling through apps today, it is rare for anyone to indicate AI has been used.
That is even with TikTok’s community guidelines asking users to “label realistic AI-generated content” and banning content considered to “harmfully mislead or impersonate others”.
Cowan believes there is unlikely to be any major change to legislation, but platforms could be given tougher rules.
“There are transparency requirements under the EU AI Act,” Cowan explained, with the act not covering the UK.
“Under advertising regulations, influencers have to disclose where a video they produce has been sponsored.
“I suspect we may end up with similar transparency requirements. A little ‘#AI generated’ or similar label in the corner.”
The problem will be whether creators care, and how easy enforcement is for platforms.
Cowan added: “If you’ve got those egregious videos, where someone’s putting out a hideous deepfake, they’re not going to worry about adding that label.”
For now, at least, it seems clubs are not too concerned – that AI is just something happening on social media.
Loud explosions were heard in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the Qatari capital of Doha for a third consecutive day of Iranian retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Gulf states in response to ongoing attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
Loud bangs and sirens were also heard in Kuwait early on Monday morning, with a witness quoted by Reuters news agency saying smoke was seen rising from near the US embassy.
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Kuwaiti air defences intercepted the majority of the drones near Rumaithiya and Salwa neighbourhoods, the state-run Kuwait News Agency reported, quoting the director general of civil defence.
Tehran said it would target US military assets in the region after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran continued for the third day on Monday.
Iran has hit a range of civilian and commercial areas across Gulf cities, widening the conflict’s impact on key regional aviation and trade hubs.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said it activated air raid alerts and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place.
It said the Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Bridge linking the capital, Manama, to nearby towns was closed and urged “residents to use main roads only when necessary”.
At least one person has been killed in Kuwait, three have been killed in the UAE, and 16 people have been injured in Qatar.
Meanwhile, at least 201 people have been killed in Iran in US-Israeli attacks, with 747 wounded, while at least nine have been killed and 121 wounded in Israel.
Iran ‘attacking American targets’
The US, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE issued a joint statement on Sunday condemning Iranian attacks across the region and affirming their right to self-defence.
Gulf countries “will take all necessary measures to defend their security and stability and to protect their territories, citizens, and residents, including the option of responding to the aggression”, the statement released after a meeting said.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday stressed that Tehran is not seeking confrontation with its Gulf neighbours, telling Al Jazeera that Tehran has “no problem with the countries on the other side of the Persian Gulf”, referring to the Gulf, which is also known as the Arabian Gulf.
Iran maintains “friendly and good neighbourly relations with all of them”, which it is determined to continue, he added.
“What we are doing is in fact an act of self-defence and retaliation to the American aggression against us,” Araghchi said.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the commission possesses the capacity to electronically transmit election results in 2027, though he cautioned that a “100 per cent perfect election” cannot be guaranteed.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Sunday during the Citizens’ Town Hall programme aired live on Channels Television and themed, ‘Electoral Act 2026: What it means for your votes and the 2027 elections.’
He urged Nigerians to temper expectations, stressing that while INEC would strive to deliver its best performance, perfection remains unrealistic.
“Let me just appeal to Nigerians, because I have noticed now that what Nigerians desire is a perfect election. And INEC will strive as much as possible to give this country the best election.
“However, we may not be able to achieve a 100 per cent perfect election for now. But as far as electronic transmission of results is concerned, I said it before the FCT Area Council that we have the capacity to transmit the results, and that we’re going to transmit the results. The only concern was real-time,” he said.
Let me just appeal to Nigerians because I have noticed now that what Nigerians desire is a perfect election, and INEC will strive as much as possible to give this country the best election; however, we may not be able to achieve a 100% perfect election for now.
-INEC Chairman,… pic.twitter.com/fQjYvy7bmv
Describing elections as the foundation of democratic governance, the INEC chairman underscored the importance of voter education and transparency.
READ ALSO: [2027] INEC To Conduct Mock Presidential Poll
“Election, for that matter, is the lifeblood of democracy. According to Abraham Lincoln, the ballot is more powerful than the bullets. Also, the ignorance of a voter is very inimical to the security of a nation.
“So, that is why we cannot underscore the role of INEC, as well as the civil society, in guaranteeing a transparent and credible election,” he stated.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC played an active role in shaping the Electoral Act 2026, explaining that the review process began about three years ago through a joint committee made up of the National Assembly, civil society organisations and the commission.
“As of the time I was taking over, the work was almost concluded. But nonetheless, we still made some important provisions and recommendations in the new acts,” he said.
Addressing the long-running debate over electronic transmission of results, which gained prominence after the 2023 general elections, Amupitan revealed that INEC advocated for mandatory transmission during legislative discussions.
“Now, even talking about the transmission of the results, you will notice that the original provision that came out of the retreat from the National Assembly was not exactly what you have today.
“But when INEC came in, we talked of transmission being mandatory. But let us be sincere and honest. The only problem that we had was how to define what we call real time,” he explained.
He cited the recent Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections to illustrate challenges surrounding real-time transmission, particularly in remote areas.
“Let’s look at the FCT area council election that just took place. Now, there are six area councils in the FCT. The results came out on time in five area councils. But in the Kuje area council, we have 10 wards. And the results in one ward, Kabi, did not come until the following day, Sunday.
“Now, on Saturday, when we mobilised and sent people to that ward from Kuje town, Kabi ward is about three-and-a-half hours’ drive. And the terrain is very bad. So I was worried.
“When we sent our polling officials and security agencies to that ward, the moment they entered that place, we could not reach them. They were not accessible by phone. And nobody could speak to them until we had to send somebody on Saturday morning, just to be sure that they were safe, before we now got the results.
“They brought the results to Kuje town. And then it was collated along with the remaining nine wards before the result could be declared,” he recounted.
Despite the delay, Amupitan maintained that transmission itself was not the principal challenge, pointing instead to network adequacy and logistics.
A cross-section of panels at Citizens’ Townhall. Photo: Taiwo Adesina/Channels TV
“I don’t see the issue of transmission as really a problem. I don’t see it as an issue because, from my little experience, over four months now in INEC, the problem is not even the network.
“The problem I have seen is the adequacy of the network we have. For instance, you expect that in a place like FCT, you should be able to transmit your results without any encumbrance. But we had a situation where it was impossible for us to have a real-time transmission of results, especially from the Kabi ward, until the following day. And in some of the wards, some results were transmitted,” he said.
He emphasised that logistics remain critical to election credibility, warning that operational shortcomings can erode public trust.
“So, talking about logistics, I’ve said it often that your election can be as good as your logistics. So, where there is logistics failure, you know that you are beginning to fail.”
While acknowledging that the FCT poll encountered “some logistic issues,” including human errors, he said corrective measures were already underway.
“As a regulatory body, we’re determined to achieve all this. But nonetheless, we have to admit that there were some logistical issues. Some were purely human, which we are trying to address,” he added.
Looking ahead, Amupitan expressed optimism that the 2027 general elections would represent a marked improvement, citing increased voter awareness and stronger public demand for accountability.
“But I want to assure you that the election of 2027 will be the best election that Nigerians will have because Nigerians of 2023 are different from what you have in 2027. People are much more aware. And you know the correlation between elections and development.
“Nobody is happy about the classification of Nigeria as an underdeveloped country. So we want a situation where our process will be able to guarantee the confidence and the transparency that people want to see in their system.
The 2026 Formula 1 season is almost here and there are plenty of changes for fans to get used to at the first race in Australia.
Will ‘ridiculously complex’ rules be a hit?
F1 is stepping into the unknown with some of the biggest rule changes the sport has ever seen, with the power unit, chassis, tyres and fuel all new for 2026.
Cars are now smaller and more environmentally friendly, with engines that have a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power – and use fully sustainable fuels.
However, there is concern within F1 about the degree of energy management required, and how that will affect driving styles during qualifying and races.
The drag reduction system (DRS) has been replaced with overtake mode, which gives drivers a burst of extra electric energy when they are within one second of the car ahead at a detection point, typically the final corner.
DRS no longer exists because of active aero, which allows both the rear and front wings to adjust angles on the straights to reduce drag and to increase downforce in the corners.
During the second week of pre-season testing, Ferrari turned heads with their rotating ‘upside down’ rear wing when the car’s straight-line mode was activated.
Opinions were mixed on the new cars and regulations over the six days of testing in Bahrain.
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Brit Lindblad the only rookie
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British teenager Arvid Lindblad is the sole rookie driver this year and is partnering Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.
The 18-year-old, who has a Swedish father and a mother of Indian descent, entered the record books last year when he became the youngest winner in Formula 2 history, aged 17 years and 243 days.
Barcelona v Madrid – F1 El Clasico
F1 gets its own version of ‘El Clasico’ this season as Barcelona will be joined by Madrid in hosting races in Spain.
The Spanish Grand Prix will now be held in the Spanish capital from 11-13 September at the Madring, a new purpose-built, 22-corner track which uses both public roads and private land.
Hadjar accepts Red Bull second seat challenge
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Isack Hadjar has been handed a promotion for 2026 following the departure of Yuki Tsunoda and will partner four-time world champion Verstappen at Red Bull.
The 21-year-old Frenchman spent his rookie season at sister team Racing Bulls and gained his maiden podium – a third place at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Hadjar’s first target will be to get close enough to Verstappen in order to share the points load with the Dutchman.
The last time Verstappen was beaten by a team-mate was at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April 2023, when Sergio Perez claimed victory and he finished runner-up.
Since then, however, the struggles of the second seat driver have persisted, and Perez eventually left the team at the end of 2024.
Last year, Lawson was given a chance to shine but the New Zealander was dropped back down to Racing Bulls after only two races and was swapped with Tsunoda.
Cadillac boost grid from 10 teams to 11
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F1 welcomes its first start-up entry on to the grid since Haas 10 years ago with the arrival of fellow American team Cadillac.
Opting for the experience of Mexican Perez and former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas – both multiple grands prix winners – Cadillac, who are using a Ferrari power unit, had a mixed pre-season testing, with a few issues here and there that kept both drivers sat in the garage.
Team principal Graeme Lowdon, though, says fans should not read too much into testing, as he is “extremely happy with the team [and] very, very happy with the platform that we’re building”.
Audi are also newcomers in 2026, making their debut in the sport having acquired the Swiss-based Sauber team.
The German outfit have decided not to play it safe in their first campaign and have designed and built an in-house power unit.
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Can Aston Martin and Honda iron out issues?
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Aston Martin are at the beginning of their new works partnership with Honda, so maybe a few teething problems were to be expected. However, the team’s running in Bahrain was a disappointment from start to finish.
The power unit by the Japanese manufacturer suffered with reliability issues and on the final day of action, the team called time on their programme after only six laps for Lance Stroll – a lack of engine parts curtailing their data gathering following Fernando Alonso’s battery-related problem the day before.
Silverstone hosts first sprint since 2021
The British Grand Prix has been chosen as one of the six tracks to host a sprint event this season, marking Silverstone’s return to the shorter race format for the first time since its introduction in 2021.
The Chinese and Miami Grands Prix are back for a third consecutive year, while Canada, Zandvoort in the Netherlands and Singapore are holding a sprint race for the first time.
This year is the Dutch Grand Prix’s swansong in Formula 1 following its comeback in 2021 after a 36-year absence.
