F1 calendar in turmoil

Formula [1 announced]formula1.com that the Bahrain Grand Prix (scheduled for April 12) and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (scheduled for April 19) will not take place in April. The 2026 calendar will shrink from 24 to 22 races, according to race [organisers reported].motorsport.com That leaves a five‑week gap between the Japan round on March 29 and the Miami race on May 3, a scheduling hole teams and broadcasters now face.espn.com The two cancelled rounds represent major hosting fees: Saudi Arabia has been reported to pay about $55 million a year to stage its Grand Prix,racingnews365.com while Bahrain’s fee has been estimated at roughly £24 million (about $45m).independent.co.uk Bahrain’s circuit operator has previously told officials the race weekend generates roughly $100 million in economic impact for the kingdom, a short‑term loss organisers say they now face.gdnonline.com In Jeddah, hotel occupancy during Grand Prix weekends climbed to about 82.5% with peak nightly rates above SAR1,600, figures that hotels and tour operators expect to lose if the April event is not reinstated.arabnews.pk Freight logistics influenced the decision, with teams and paddock freight routed first to Sakhir and then overland to Jeddah — a sequence sources say made saving one event without the other impractical.sports.yahoo.com Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy rounds that were due to support those weekends have also been removed from their April slots, per the F1 announcement.formula1.com Analysts and motorsport outlets put the immediate revenue hit to F1 and promoters at well over $100 million when hosting fees, ticketing and sponsorship exposure are tallied, even as organisers continue to assess insurer and broadcaster impacts.total-motorsport.com While some outlets flagged Imola and Portimão as possible fill‑ins, F1 said no substitutions will be made in April after evaluating alternatives with the FIA and promoters.grandprix247.com