The cancellation of Bahrain and Jeddah grands prix due to the Iran war has created a five-week gap between Suzuka and Miami rounds. Red Bull views the break as a mixed bag, offering upgrade time but hindering engine development. Aston Martin sees both positives and negatives amid its power unit issues.
Formula 1's schedule has shifted after the Middle Eastern rounds of Bahrain and Jeddah were scrapped owing to the ongoing Iran war. This leaves a five-week break between the Suzuka Grand Prix this weekend and the Miami event in early May, prompting varied reactions from teams struggling early in the season. Red Bull endured a difficult Chinese Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar were outqualified by Alpine's Pierre Gasly. The team scored no sprint points, and Verstappen retired from sixth due to an ERS cooling issue while vying for fifth against Oliver Bearman and Gasly. Hadjar noted, “For sure, we need more grip,” adding that the break allows upgrades and prevents point losses, though it disadvantages the new Red Bull Ford Powertrain. “The more racing the more we understand,” he said. Verstappen acknowledged the challenge: “Others also put performance, right?” Aston Martin faces power unit woes with its new Honda engine, including vibrations damaging batteries and raising driver health concerns. Chief trackside officer Mike Krack described the break's duality: “Being on track allows you to discover new things. But not being on track helps solve problems without calendar intensity.” The ADUO mechanism, offering extra upgrades for underperforming engines, now delays its first evaluation to after Monaco in June. Williams and Cadillac welcome the pause for development, with Williams addressing its overweight FW48 and Cadillac tackling teething issues, as per Alex Albon, James Vowles, and Valtteri Bottas.
