Bahrain, Saudi F1 races cancelled
Both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled this weekend because of the war in Iran, producing an unexpected multi‑week break in the Formula 1 calendar. (espn.com) (gpfans.com)
Formula 1’s April schedule has been ripped up: the Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will not be run, leaving Miami as the next race on May 1-3. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) The two races had been set for April 10-12 in Sakhir and April 17-19 in Jeddah. Formula 1 and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile said on March 14 that, after “careful evaluations,” the events would not take place in April because of the situation in the Middle East. (formula1.com) (fia.com) Formula 1 said it considered alternatives and decided not to stage substitute races in April. The decision was taken with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and the two local promoters, leaving the 2026 championship at 22 rounds instead of the 24 announced last year. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) That creates a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27-29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 1-3. In a sport built around freight plans, staff travel and tightly sequenced race weekends, that is a major break in the middle of the spring calendar. (formula1.com) (espn.com) The original 2026 calendar had moved Canada to May 22-24, directly after Miami, to improve the geographic flow of the season. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had been placed in April because Ramadan falls in February and March this year. (formula1.com) Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and chief executive, said the cancellation was “the right one at this stage” given conditions in the region. Saudi Arabia’s promoter said it respected the decision and remained in partnership with Formula 1, while saying Jeddah had been ready to host. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) The disruption has not hit every series the same way. Formula 2 lost its Sakhir and Jeddah rounds, plus its March 25-27 in-season test in Bahrain, but later added Miami and Montreal as replacement events. (fiaformula2.com) (fiaformula2.com) Formula 3 and F1 Academy were also scheduled to race during the cancelled Middle East swing. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile said those rounds would not take place at their scheduled times, and Formula 1’s public calendar now resumes in Florida after Japan. (fia.com) (formula1.com) So, for now, the 2026 season has an unusual shape: three races in March, none in April, then a restart in Miami before Canada and the European leg. The empty weekends in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are no longer placeholders on the calendar; they are gone. (formula1.com)
