How Formula One has used its war-enforced break

Formula One revs up again after being silenced for five weeks by war in the Middle East.

The disruption and discord might not be over.

It wasn't safe enough for F1 to race in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April due to lingering concerns about attacks from Iran in retaliation for the war on Tehran launched by the US and Israel.

While the ceasefire holds for now, the lack of permanent peace creates uncertainty about whether the championship can return to the region to complete the season.

The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled for 29 November followed by a trip to Abu Dhabi on 6 December.

Losing those will cause an early finish with four of the 24 races lost.

There has already been a financial impact into the tens of millions of pounds, with circuits losing out and broadcasters losing racing slots.

So the home of British motorsport has stepped in with a contingency plan, offering an extra race at Silverstone after the usual event in July.

Silverstone CEO Stuart Pringle told Sky News: "I have offered because we stepped in during COVID [in 2020 with an extra race] and we were able to help Formula One.

"And if that would help then of course we will. There are numerous practicalities that need to be considered and so the offer's in, they know we're here and we can move quickly.

"I pride myself on not having spare windows, but everything's movable in a crisis."

The sport's bosses are hoping they don't need to take up the offer.

"This situation is so fluid and so dynamic and nobody knows what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone in September and October," F1 chief corporate relations officer Liam Parker told Sky News.

"We have a long period of time until our events that we need to go back to the Middle East region."

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As a sport that guzzles fuel in the cars and to get them to circuits by air, road and sea, the surge in cost of oil caused by the war will have an impact.

For now, Mr Parker says such "headaches and complexities" can be navigated.

He added: "Of course everyone sees increased costs, increased burdens, moving things through different routes, but we're managing to do that effectively."

F1 is gradually transitioning to electric but the changes this season have caused sparks in the first three races.

From this season, the engines are a 50-50 electric-combustion power split.

And the war-enforced break has been used to address safety concerns caused by the hybrid power units and sudden speed differences between cars.

Haas driver Oliver Bearman crashed into barriers at the Japanese Grand Prix after approaching a rival with a 50kmph speed difference between the cars.

The first unanticipated mid-season pause since the pandemic in 2020 was not just used by F1 to change regulations on the track but make the case for them politically.

We joined Business Secretary Peter Kyle on a trip to Silverstone and the Aston Martin HQ.

While he talked up F1's £12bn annual value to the British economy with 10 of the 11 F1 teams based here, the sport's leaders asked for help on cutting post-Brexit red tape.

Leaving the European Union has made it more logistically challenging moving equipment to Europe and bringing staff into Britain.

Discussing the issues for Silverstone, Mr Pringle called for "as little friction as possible", lamenting how "life was easier before", with teams operating on tight timescales.

Mr Parker, a special adviser in the Conservative government overseeing Brexit, said: "It's always good to have frictionless movement, being able to do what we need to do as a business.

"And the teams work with us closely to make sure those representations are made to government."

And this Labour government is receptive to F1's desire for a closer re-alignment with Europe - despite appearances of reversing Brexit.

Mr Kyle said: "I meet very often with my counterparts in Brussels. They come to me with issues that they face in the UK. And we're trying to ease those frictions as much as possible.

"We want to ease the burdens on business doing business across the continent of Europe and within the EU and non-EU countries like the UK, but we also want to create more opportunities going forward."

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And the teams are in an advantageous position to make requests to a government that is keen to retain the "glamour industry", as Mr Kyle sees it.

There is the sporting clout and economic clout, providing jobs for thousands of technical staff with a corner of England seen as the Silicon Valley for motorsport.

They've been kept busy in April even without any racing.

(c) Sky News 2026: How Formula One has used its war-enforced break