Qatar Airways, the title sponsor of the 2026 Qatar Australian Grand Prix, has cancelled its plans for this weekend’s event due to conflict in the Middle East.

A VIP dinner at Marmelo restaurant on Friday has been scrapped, along with invitations throughout the event.

Qatar Airways withdrew invitations to its events, saying it would have been inappropriate to be celebrating while passengers remained stuck in Doha, unable to fly out of the Persian Gulf state.

The airline told The Australian Financial Review the decision had been taken “in light of the situation and out of respect for those impacted”.

“Due to the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace and the temporary suspension of Qatar Airways’ flight operations, the airline has postponed its scheduled media and partner events in Melbourne this weekend,” a spokesperson said.

Australian Grand Prix CEO Travis Auld said almost 500,000 people were expected to visit Melbourne during the four-day event. Tickets across Friday, Saturday and Sunday sold out in record time.

However, Accommodation Australia chief executive James Goodwin told the Australian Financial Review that Melbourne hotels have experienced a surge in no-shows since the weekend. 

“The concern with the no shows is that with the extra demand for accommodation, particularly at those properties near major airports, the hotels are unable to accommodate those new guests needing a place to stay,” Goodwin said.

“Melbourne is the biggest worry for the sector. The Formula 1 is one of the biggest events in the calendar, if not the biggest for the year. We know that the crews and the teams are arriving and … everyone is confident that the race will go on.”

“The concern, though, is whether all those spectators will still be able to get here, and that will be really concerning if we can’t meet those expected numbers. We’re very concerned because it is such a big event for Melbourne.”

According to reports, a decision about whether the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, on 12 and 19 April, will go ahead will be made in the next few weeks.

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