It is not common for Formula 1 to cancel GPs from its calendars, as happened with the announcement that the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this year will not be held. But it is also not exactly a rarity for GPs scheduled for the season to fail to take place for various reasons over the years.
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The cancellation of the Bahraini and Saudi rounds occurs due to the armed conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with the Persian country being attacked by the other two after months of tension between Washington and Tehran. It is the third time that wars or anti-government protests have forced F1 to cancel races, repeating 2011 in Bahrain and 2022 in Russia.
Over time, financial crises, natural disasters, pandemics, and even accidents in races of other categories have caused F1 GP cancellations. F1MANIA.NET lists some of these cancellations below:
1955 – French, Swiss, Spanish, and German GPs
Considered by many to be the most serious accident in the history of world motorsport, Pierre Levegh’s collision during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, which exploded in the wooden stands, killing the driver and more than 80 spectators, had as one of its consequences the cancellation of Formula 1 races. That year, the French, Swiss, Spanish, and German GPs were not held.
1957 – Dutch and Belgian GPs
With the rise in oil prices and, consequently, gasoline, caused by the Suez Crisis the previous year, GP promoters approached the teams to see if they would accept a smaller prize pool. With the refusal, the races were canceled and a new race, in Pescara, Italy, was held.
1969 – Belgian GP
Led by Jackie Stewart, the drivers asked for safety improvements at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Unable to raise the money to carry out the renovations for this, the drivers of the world’s most important motorsport category chose to boycott the race.
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1985 – Belgian GP
This time, the race at Spa-Francorchamps did not take place because of the asphalt. Aiming to improve grip conditions in the rain, the track received a new asphalt layer two weeks before the race. However, without curing time, the pavement began to break up as soon as the cars started circulating on the circuit. The repairs did not work and the GP was canceled.
2011 – Bahrain GP
The race in Sakhir was set to open the 2011 championship, but Bahrain was one of the countries affected by the Arab Spring, which toppled political leaders in Egypt and Tunisia, for example. Without safety for the professionals who would work at the GP, there was no alternative but to cancel the GP.
2020 – Australian GP and several other races
With the then Covid-19 outbreak gaining more and more strength, F1 traveled to Australia to start the 2020 season. The race in Melbourne, however, was only canceled a few hours before the start of the first free practice of the weekend. Shortly after, the entire calendar for that year was changed due to the pandemic, which also happened in 2021.
2022 – Russian GP
The case of Russia resembles the current case of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The cancellation of the races in the European country occurred due to the Russian army’s invasion of Ukrainian territory, which took place in early 2022. F1, which was preparing to have a race in Saint Petersburg after holding the GP in Sochi for years, broke the contract with the event promoters.
2023 – Emilia Romagna GP
One of the races that remained on the F1 calendar even after the pandemic, the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola was supposed to be held in May 2023. However, heavy rains throughout the region where the circuit is located prevented the race from taking place, and it was canceled, returning to host the pinnacle of world motorsport the following year.
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