The 2026 Formula 1 season will feature only 22 of the 24 initially planned races. The category announced the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs, which were to be held on April 12 and 19, respectively, due to the armed conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, which has been ongoing for two weeks.
Read more F1: Hadjar criticizes Antonelli after China Sprint incident
Since the start of the war, the non-occurrence of the races in Sakhir and Jeddah was being considered. Initially, a swap of venues for the races was sought, with Portimão, in Portugal, and Imola, in Italy, being considered. Without sufficient time to organize the races in April, F1 found itself forced to cancel the events in the Middle East.
Information about the cancellation of the races began to circulate on Friday, following a publication by Sky Sports F1, and was later confirmed. As a result, the F1 calendar will now have a gap of more than a month without races. The Japanese GP, the third round of the championship, will be held on March 29, followed by the Miami GP, a race scheduled for May 3.
In the official statement, Formula 1 informed that, after careful evaluations and because of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, the two races will not be held in April. The category also confirmed that, although several alternatives were studied, there will be no replacement rounds during the month.
The decision also affects other categories of the weekend. The Formula 2, Formula 3, and F1 Academy rounds scheduled for those dates will also not take place during the originally scheduled periods.
Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali stated that the choice was difficult but necessary given the current scenario. “While it was a difficult decision to make, it is unfortunately the right decision at this time, considering the current situation in the Middle East,” he declared.
Read more F1: Check out the provisional starting grid for the 2026 Chinese GP
Domenicali also thanked the FIA and the race promoters for their support and understanding. According to him, the category hopes to return to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as soon as circumstances allow.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem reinforced that safety comes first. “The FIA will always put the safety and well-being of our community and our colleagues first,” said the official, adding that he hopes for a quick return of stability to the region.
Local promoters also supported the measure. The CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit, Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, stated that the circuit fully supports the decision and thanked Formula 1 and the FIA for their ongoing partnership. Meanwhile, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia declared that the country respects the decision and remains in close partnership with the category.
In this century alone, this is the fifth time F1 has canceled races from its calendar. In 2021, the Arab Spring brought down the Bahrain GP. In 2020, several races were canceled due to the pandemic. In 2022, due to the conflict with Ukraine, the Russian GP was removed from the calendar. In 2023, the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola was canceled due to weather conditions that caused flooding in that region.
Read more F1: McLaren boss clarifies comments on Mercedes advantage
