Bahrain and Saudi GPs canceled
Formula 1 has canceled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix this month because of regional instability related to the conflict with Iran, leaving teams and fans facing an extended gap in the calendar. (espn.com) The next scheduled race is now Miami, and the FIA has added Formula 2 support races to Miami and Canada to give fans extra track action during the reshuffled period. (sportingnews.com) (si.com)
Formula 1 has scrapped this month’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, turning a busy April into a four-week break before Miami. (formula1.com) The sport said on March 14 that the races in Sakhir and Jeddah would not go ahead in April because of the “ongoing situation in the Middle East region.” Formula 1 also said it considered alternatives but chose not to add replacement races this month. (formula1.com) (espn.com) That reshuffle leaves Miami, on May 1-3, as the next Formula 1 weekend on the official 2026 calendar. Formula 1’s site now lists Miami as Round 4, followed by Canada on May 22-24. (formula1.com) The cancellations matter because Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were supposed to anchor the early-season swing after Australia, China and Japan. Instead, teams now face a long competitive pause at a point in the year when car development usually accelerates. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) It also changes the rhythm for fans and junior drivers. Formula 1 said the Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy rounds tied to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not run on their original dates. (formula1.com) The first fix has come for Formula 2, the main feeder series to Formula 1. The championship announced on April 9 that Miami will host Round 2 on May 1-3 and Montreal will host Round 3 on May 22-24. (fiaformula2.com) Those will be Formula 2’s first races in North America, a notable shift for a series that usually follows the European-heavy core of the Formula 1 schedule. Formula 1’s corporate site said the added rounds became possible only after the April events in Sakhir and Jeddah were dropped. (corp.formula1.com) Formula 1 has not restored the two lost Grands Prix elsewhere, so the top series now appears set for a 22-race season instead of the 24-race calendar announced last year. The official schedule currently shows 22 championship rounds remaining from Australia through Abu Dhabi, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia absent. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2) For now, the practical answer is simple: Formula 1’s next green flag is in Miami, and the gap created by two canceled races is not being filled at the top level. (formula1.com)
