Formula 1 has officially cancelled its April rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, leaving a five-week gap in the 2026 racing calendar with no replacement events planned.
F1 confirmed the decision after Iran’s retaliatory strikes reached both countries. The Bahrain Grand Prix had been scheduled for April 12 and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for April 19 in Jeddah. The cancellations reduce the 2026 season from 24 to 22 races — the shortest calendar since 2023.
“While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East,” F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said in a statement. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “The FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind.”
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The next race on the revised calendar is now the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, following the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29. Motorsport.com reported that the cancellations will cost the sport an estimated $100 million in combined hosting fees and ripple across support series, with F1 Academy, Formula 2, and Formula 3 rounds also dropped from those weekends.
Teams had been holding off on committing to new component development, uncertain whether the races would proceed. The four-week break now gives squads a firm target of Miami to introduce upgrades. F1 explored alternative venues, including Imola, Portimão, and Istanbul, but ultimately chose to forgo replacement events entirely.
Both host nations said they supported the decision. “We look forward to welcoming fans from all around the world back to Bahrain when F1 returns,” said Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit.
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