While the moving of flying restrictions in Europe begins to clear the backlog of stranded travelers, it appears most of the Force India and Hispania Racing Team (HRT) teams are still stranded in Shanghai. Several teams and their critical Formula 1 cargo and cars are now arriving back in Europe. Red Bull's Christian Horner said the air travel holdup will have little effect on the team's plans for Barcelona, while Lotus' Mike Gascoyne said planned developments for Spain will be applied to both cars. McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh was more concerned about the delay, explaining that if it (the delay) is a week or so it will become an issue.
However Force India spokespersons said in Shanghai on Thursday that while the drivers are back in Europe, the majority of the team is still in China. She told Reuters that they are hopeful for their charter to leave at some point tomorrow. Indian rookie Chandhok, who flew straight from Shanghai to his Indian home, also revealed that most of the HRT team is still in China, amid reports that hundreds of other F1-related personnel are in a similar situation and face waits for flights that could extend well into the weekend.
