Formula 1 was forced to reduce its calendar by two races with the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs in 2026. However, although the category is keeping an eye on the situation, there are still no concrete plans to add more stages among the 22 GPs of the 2026 season, points out GPblog.
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One of the ways the championship generates revenue is through holding the stages. Local promoters need to pay high fees to host the world championship in their countries – therefore, with the departures of Sakhir and Jeddah, the coffers are directly affected, especially because both are among the stages that pay the most on the calendar.
Some of the scenarios discussed in a meeting held this Friday (8) involving investors after the release of Liberty Media’s quarterly results were to hold a Saudi Arabia GP, perhaps one in Bahrain in October, or even a second race in Las Vegas. However, according to GPblog, nothing has been decided.
Still according to the portal, the main barrier to holding the canceled races remains the war in the Middle East. If the situation does not ‘normalize’, no GP from the region will be added to the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. But if the situation returns to ‘normal’, the category has different alternatives to implement, but it is still too early to point them out as certain.
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“The only thing I can say is that we have plans, we hope not to have to apply them, because we really hope that the situation for the world, not just for the races, returns to normal,” said Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, in a teleconference with investors.
“Of course the deadline, or the cut-off point, is different between what we can eventually recover from what was not held in April and what may or may not happen at the end of November, beginning of December. We are, obviously, aligning everything with the teams and promoters, because this generates a large chain of reactions,” said the Italian.
“At the right time, we will keep everyone informed. But I hope you understand if we avoid saying something that would be just speculation, something we want to avoid, because, as I said, the main hope is to ensure that we can return to the place where we should be,” he added.
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