Bahrain & Jeddah canceled
Formula 1 has canceled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix that were due in April — organizers cited “unprecedented safety risks” and logistical hurdles tied to the Middle East conflict ( ). F1 is exploring rescheduling the races later in 2026 and even weighing an unprecedented four-race consecutive run to make up dates — but teams, travel logistics and fatigue are major constraints ( ).
The Bahrain round had been scheduled for April 12 and the Jeddah race for April 19 — those were set to be rounds four and five of the 2026 championship. (espn.com) (espn.com) The removals shrink the 2026 calendar from 24 rounds to 22, cutting two consecutive flyaway events out of the early-season run. (motorsport.com) (motorsport.com) Formula 2, Formula 3 and the F1 Academy were also dropped from their Bahrain and Jeddah weekends as part of the same announcement. (formula1.com) (formula1.com) A tight freight deadline around March 20 and disrupted shipping lanes were central to the timing: teams faced a logistical cutoff for sending cars and equipment to the Gulf. (straitstimes.com) (straitstimes.com) Several outlets also reported that some team freight remained on-site in Bahrain after pre‑season testing, complicating any last‑minute salvage operation. (thecourieronline.co.uk) (thecourieronline.co.uk) Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem framed the move as taken “after careful evaluations,” and both promoters in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia issued statements expressing support for the decision. (formula1.com) (formula1.com) Senior outlets assessing the calendar say rescheduling later in 2026 is possible but unlikely given an already congested season and limited open slots, while niche outlets have reported F1 chiefs are even discussing a novel run of up to four consecutive race weekends to recover dates. (independent.co.uk) (sports.yahoo.com) (f1oversteer.com) (f1oversteer.com) Team sources have flagged that any such compression would face major hurdles from travel logistics, servicing cycles and personnel fatigue. (motorsport.com) (motorsport.com) The cancellations create a five‑week gap between the Japanese round at Suzuka (Mar 27–29) and the Miami event (May 1–3), a pause that will affect broadcast windows and the scheduling of support‑series races. (sky.com) (news.sky.com) (si.com) (si.com)
