Grand Prix circus worried about being stuck in China (News Feature)

By Christian Hollmann Apr 17, 2010, 15:59 GMT

Shanghai - Although they have cars that can reach speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour, the Formula One circus is as powerless as the rest of us when it comes to challenging the elements.

Air traffic over most of Europe has ground to a halt following the eruption of the volcano near Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, which spewed out a cloud of ash and dust.

Formula One teams are currently in China, ahead of Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, but with the European leg of the season about to start in Barcelona in three weeks, most teams are eager to get back to Europe.

'It is a problem. Hopefully we will get back. Possibly all of us will have to drive home,' Red Bull principal Christian Horner said.

Most teams have booked their return flights for Sunday night or Monday as they all have their factories in Europe.

'I am not certain if many of us can leave the country on Sunday,' Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug said, while a Force India spokeswoman added they they were simply watching the situation. 'If necessary, we can change our plans.'

Williams driver Nico Hulkenberg, for one, is worried that his flight to Heathrow will be cancelled as authorities have closed British airspace.

'Sebastian and I are driving back in the same car,' Red Bull driver Mark Webber joked after finishing second in the qualifying behind his Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel.

Already in China some of the teams have had to feel the impact of the chaos reigning over Europe. Williams has waited in vain for spare parts, while Red Bull and McLaren employees, who were hoping to bring spare part to China, had to take a train to Paris and fly from there.

They were lucky to get the last flight that was still allowed to leave France.

Two McLaren marketing employees, however, were not as fortunate and were left stranded in London.

Even the owner of the Virgin team, Richard Branson, who owns an airline, was unable to travel to China to watch the race and German TV station RTL, who employ former world champion Niki Lauda as expert, will have to make do without the Austrian who will have to commentate from a studio in Vienna.

It might provide some consolation to Mr and Mrs Joe Public lying on a camp bed in an over-filled airport somewhere in Europe that even billionaires like Richard Branson and Grand Prix drivers like Mark Webber are affected.

That is, until they hear that - presumably unlike them - it comes as no great worry to the likes of Sebastian Vettel. 'I wanted to go to Thailand anyway,' the German said.