Formula One has announced that both the Bahrain and Saudia Arabian Grands Prix set for April have been canceled due to the ongoing conflict in the country of Iran.
Without clarity around how long the conflict would continue, the decision was made with a focus on safety and logistics, ensuring the teams knew if their freight needed to go to the event or not.
F1 was set to arrive to the circuits on both April 12 and April 19 respectively. However, both countries have been struck with devastation from Iran’s response of the United States and Israel launching a wave of attacks.
“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,” said F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali. “I want to take this opportunity to thank the FIA as well as our incredible promoters for their support and understanding. We cannot wait to be back with them as soon as the circumstances allow us to do so.”
The early indication is that the races will not be replaced as the current schedule is tightly packed at the back end of the year. Meaning the 2026 schedule would be reduced from 24 to 22 races. Additionally, this creates a five-week gap between the races in Japan on March 29 and Miami on May 3.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has expressed his confidence that the sanctioning body will make the right move.
“I know that Stefano will do what is right for all of us and the sport,” Hamilton said. “That is the great thing with having a leader like him.”
