Bahrain GP cancelled
The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix was cancelled this weekend because of the war in Iran, leaving Formula 1 with an unexpected five-week break before the Miami race. (espn.com) Organizers and analysts say the calendar has effectively shrunk from 24 races to 22 after the double cancellations, creating an early-season pause in competition. (gpfans.com)
Formula 1’s Bahrain Grand Prix did not happen on Sunday, April 12, after the series cancelled its April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia over the Middle East conflict. (formula1.com) Formula 1 and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile announced the decision on March 14, saying the Bahrain race on April 10-12 and the Jeddah race on April 17-19 would not go ahead. They also said no replacement events would be staged in April. (fia.com) The cancellation also wiped out the support-series weekends tied to those events, including Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy. Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali said the call was “the right one” given conditions in the region. (formula1.com) That leaves the 2026 championship with 22 races instead of the 24 originally listed on the calendar. It also creates a 35-day gap between the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. (skysports.com) The next Formula 1 weekend is now Miami on May 1-3 around Hard Rock Stadium, after only three races in the new 2026 season. ESPN reported that Kimi Antonelli won the Japanese Grand Prix before the sport entered the break. (espn.com) Formula 1 did consider other options, but officials said the calendar and freight schedule left little room to move. ESPN reported teams faced shipping deadlines for the Middle East rounds, and Formula 1 said several alternatives were reviewed before it ruled out substitutions. (espn.com) Rescheduling later in the year also looks difficult because the championship is already tightly packed outside the mandatory summer shutdown. RaceFans reported that adding extra rounds after April would likely force longer stretches of consecutive race weekends for team staff. (racefans.net) Bahrain and Saudi Arabia backed the decision publicly. Bahrain International Circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa said the track “fully support[s]” the move, and Saudi motorsport chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal said organizers in Jeddah understood Formula 1’s reasoning. (fia.com) For now, the season pauses where it was left at Suzuka: three races run, two April stops gone, and Miami now carrying Formula 1 back onto the calendar in early May. (espn.com)
