F1 cancels Saudi and Bahrain races
The 2026 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Bahrain Grand Prix have been cancelled, leaving a five‑week gap in the F1 calendar after three races. (espn.co.uk) The Miami Grand Prix is now listed as the next race on the calendar. (sports.yahoo.com)
Formula One has called off the 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, removing the two April races from this season’s schedule. (formula1.com) The sport said the races in Sakhir on April 12 and Jeddah on April 19 will not take place in April after “careful evaluations” of the situation in the Middle East region. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile said no replacement events were added for those weekends. (formula1.com) (fia.com) That leaves a five-week gap after the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 before the Miami Grand Prix on May 3. The amended Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile calendar approved on March 26 now lists 22 races instead of the 24 announced in June 2025. (fia.com 1) (fia.com 2) The change breaks up what was supposed to be the first long flyaway stretch of the year. The original 2026 calendar had Australia on March 8, China on March 15, Japan on March 29, Bahrain on April 12 and Saudi Arabia on April 19 before Miami on May 3. (fia.com 1) (fia.com 2) Formula One had moved Bahrain and Saudi Arabia into April because Ramadan in 2026 falls through February and March. That same calendar plan was part of a broader effort to group races more tightly by region and cut freight moves between continents. (fia.com) (formula1.com) Stefano Domenicali, Formula One’s president and chief executive, said the decision was made with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile and local promoters. The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation said it respected the change and remained in close partnership with Formula One. (formula1.com) (fia.com) The cancellation also wipes out the scheduled support-series rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy. Those championships now lose two planned April stops alongside the main series. (formula1.com) (fia.com) For now, the next Formula One race is Miami on May 3, followed by Canada on May 24 and Monaco on June 7. Unless Formula One and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile add new dates later, the 2026 season will resume in Florida after the longest early-season break on the revised calendar. (fia.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
