F1 calendar gap grows
Formula 1 has an unexpected mid‑season pause after both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled, leaving a roughly five‑week gap before the next race. (espn.com) Reports say the cancellations were tied to the war in Iran and the lost race weekends have mixed financial implications for teams under the cost cap. (gpfans.com) (autosport.com)
Formula 1’s 2026 season has paused for five weeks after April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off, with Miami now next on May 3. (formula1.com) Formula 1 and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile said on March 14 that the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 12 and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on April 19 would not take place in April because of “the ongoing situation in the Middle East region.” The series said it considered alternatives but made no April substitutions. (formula1.com) ESPN reported the cancellations were tied to the war in Iran, and Motorsport.com said the two lost weekends cut the championship from 24 races to 22. Japan on March 29 became round three, and the next scheduled race is now the Miami Grand Prix weekend of May 1-3. (espn.com) (motorsport.com) (formula1.com) That gap is unusual because Formula 1 normally stacks races tightly through spring, and 2026 had already started a new rules cycle for cars and power units. Formula 1 said teams are using April for simulator work, factory development and a short reset before the series resumes in the United States. (formula1.com) The financial hit is uneven. Autosport reported Liberty Media’s stock fell about 7 percent after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were removed, while Formula 1’s business model still shifts much of the event risk onto race promoters through hosting fees and long-term contracts. (autosport.com) For teams, fewer race weekends can mean lower travel and trackside costs, but the championship’s cost cap does not simply hand back lost revenue. Autosport reported the sport’s commercial income and prize-money pool can still change if two grands prix disappear, even if some operating expenses fall with them. (autosport.com) Formula 1 also left its support series with holes in their schedules. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds for Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy were cancelled alongside the main grands prix, and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile later announced replacement Formula 2 races at Miami and Montreal. (formula1.com) (gpfans.com) Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali called the move “the right one at this stage,” and Saudi and Bahraini organizers said they respected the decision. The calendar now resumes in Miami after a break that no team planned for when the season opened in Australia on March 8. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2)
