F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP to be cancelled, reports suggest
13th March 2026Formula 1 is expected to cancel the upcoming Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekends, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, reports suggest.
Feature image credit: Getty Images // Red Bull Content Pool
According to the latest reports, like Sky Sports, the upcoming Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs are set to be cancelled by Formula 1.
It has been recent speculation that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races would even go ahead, thanks to the strikes made by Iran, in retaliation against US-Israeli air strikes.
The Bahrain race weekend was set to be conducted on April 10-12, and the Saudi Arabian GP was scheduled a week later, on April 17-19.
If the races are officially confirmed to be off the calendar in 2026, it means the sport will effectively endure a five-week spring break in April, with no other Grand Prix weekends scheduled bar those two. It will see a gap form from the Japanese Grand Prix, on March 27-29, until it returns for the Miami Grand Prix, on May 1-3.
Following the cancellation, if approved, means that the F1 calendar would drop from 24 races to a 22-race season, last seen during the 2023 season.
The F1 teams and crews had fortunately avoided the conflict during the pre-season, having conducted their fortnight of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. However, Pirelli were reported to have stopped their tyre test on safety grounds.
Iranian forces reportedly struck a US naval base in Bahrain on Saturday, February 28.
Safety is paramount to the sport, ensuring a safe competitive environment for all those involved: teams, drivers, officials, marshals, etc. It was previously reported that the sport was closely monitoring the ongoing conflict, but the situation has not improved with Iran striking several Middle Eastern countries in retaliation.
It is not the first time F1 has found itself in this sort of dilemma.
During the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the event was in jeopardy in its second year after Houthis struck a nearby oil facility, leading to lengthy talks amongst the drivers before it was agreed to continue on.
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F1 is currently in China for the second round of the 2026 campaign, and an announcement on the two races is expected ‘by the end of this Sunday,’ Sky Sport reports.
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
