F1 is set to cancel its Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races as the Middle East conflict makes hosting the events impossible.
Official Announcement Of Cancellation Is Only A Matter Of Time
Formula One will cancel next month’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix races due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Multiple sources told Reuters that a formal announcement was expected by Monday at the latest. A 20 March deadline for freight transportation to Bahrain had been looming over the decision for several days.
Sky Sports holds broadcasting rights in Britain, where most of Formula One’s 11 teams are based. The broadcaster reported it understood the races would be officially called off by Sunday night. F1 and the governing FIA had not yet issued a formal public statement at the time of writing.
The decision, while not yet confirmed officially, has been widely regarded within the sport as inevitable for some time. US and Israeli attacks on Iran have been continuing across the region in recent weeks.
Iranian drones and missiles have struck several Middle Eastern capitals, including Bahrain’s Manama. That city is precisely where the vast majority of team personnel would have been staying during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend in April.
The safety of those personnel has clearly become the overriding concern for the sport’s organisers and governing body.
A Disrupted Calendar And A Shortened Season
The cancellation of both races will have significant consequences for the 2026 Formula One calendar. Bahrain had been scheduled for 12 April, with the Saudi Arabian race in Jeddah set for 19 April, the following weekend.
Sources have indicated that neither race is likely to be rescheduled or replaced at alternative dates elsewhere in the season. That leaves April as an empty month for the championship and reduces the total number of rounds from 24 to 22. F1 is currently racing in China this weekend for round two of the season, following the opening race in Australia last weekend.
The next confirmed race on the calendar after China is the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March. After that, the next scheduled event will now be the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May, leaving a significant gap in the racing programme.
Teams and broadcasters will need to adjust their planning and logistics accordingly over the coming weeks. The financial implications for both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian race promoters are also likely to be considerable.
Teams Back Formula One’s Lead On Safety
Those within the paddock have been largely measured and supportive in their response to the developing situation. Audi team (401.95) principal Jonathan Wheatley spoke to reporters during practice at the Shanghai circuit and offered a calm and considered view.
“I think we follow the guidance of the FIA and Formula One, as we always do. They’ve always led us in the right direction,” Wheatley said.
He also made clear that the well-being of all team personnel remained the absolute priority throughout the process: “Nobody’s going to compromise on anything that would put teams into an uncomfortable situation.”
That sentiment appears to be broadly shared across the paddock, with no team publicly pushing back against the expected cancellations. The sport’s commercial rights holder, Liberty Media, has also remained silent publicly while the situation develops.
Other Motorsport Series Also Affected
Formula One is not the only motorsport series feeling the impact of the regional instability.
The World Endurance Championship had already postponed its planned season opener in Qatar, originally scheduled for 26-28 March. Championship organisers have moved the race to Italy’s Imola circuit on 19 April. They have rescheduled the Qatar round for 24 October as the penultimate race before the Bahrain finale on 7 November.
MotoGP is also due to race in Qatar on 12 April, and that event is similarly considered likely to be cancelled given the current circumstances. The broader disruption to motorsport’s Middle Eastern calendar reflects just how serious and far-reaching the regional conflict has become.
