Formula 1 is set to cancel races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month, The Independent understands, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Rounds four and five of the 2026 season, scheduled for 12 April (Sakhir) and 19 April (Jeddah), will no longer take place, with F1 set to cancel the grand prix events in the next 48 hours, a source has told The Independent.
Iranian missiles have hit locations in the Middle East, including the Bahraini capital of Manama, as recently as Monday, after a drone attack resulted in 32 injuries. Locations in Saudi Arabia have also been targeted since the war began two weeks ago.
Replacing both events with European circuits was considered, but given the logistical challenges of such a last-minute alteration, F1 has decided to wipe them from this year’s calendar, which is now set to be 22 races long. It is highly unlikely they will be rescheduled for later in the year.
With no race in April, it means there will now be a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March and the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May.
A double cancellation has looked inevitable since the US-Iran war broke out on 28 February, with retaliatory Iranian airstrikes hitting major hotels in Manama, which often house F1 personnel.
Major international travel hubs in the region, such as Doha and Dubai, also remain impacted – though some have at least partially reopened.
F1 has already overcome obstacles presented by airport closures in the Middle East in the transfer of personnel to the season-opener in Melbourne, using chartered planes via Singapore and Tanzania.
However, with freight due to be moved to the Middle East after this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, a decision will be confirmed in the coming days that the sport will not race in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month. It is estimated to cost F1 at least £100m in hosting fees.
It is understood Saudi Arabia pays the joint-most of any race, alongside Qatar, at approximately £55m ($72m). Bahrain, which hosted the first-ever race in the Middle East in 2004, pays F1 an estimated £45m ($60m) for the right to host a grand prix.
Not only are the Middle Eastern races significant financial contributors to F1, but both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have deep ties to the sport; Bahrain owns McLaren, while Saudi Arabia is a prominent sponsor and investor via state-owned oil company, Aramco.
Speaking in Shanghai on Thursday, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton backed F1 to make the right decision.
He said: “I know that (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) will do what is right for all of us and the sport. That is the great thing with having a great leader like him.”
Various F1 team bosses have emphasised that safety is paramount and have placed trust in F1’s executive team to make the appropriate call.
When asked by The Independent about the situation at the season-opener in Australia, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: “Formula 1 in a way becomes the second priority. It’s such an important topic in the region that it’s even quite difficult, I guess, to talk to the local leaders and say: ‘What about the grand prix?’
“I think this is up to Stefano [Domenicali, CEO] as a promoter and the FIA to manage that situation while respecting the current challenges that they have. My hunch is: I would very much hope we race. Is it realistic that we race there at the moment? I’m not quite sure.
“But again, I leave it to Stefano to manage that situation. I hope generally it gets better there so we are able to come back as soon as possible.”
Other motorsport series’ have already been impacted. The World Endurance Championship (WEC) event in Doha, originally set for 26-28 March, has been postponed and rescheduled for October.
MotoGP’s Qatar round at Lusail, near Doha, on 12 April is facing significant difficulties and is unlikely to be rescheduled.
Formula Two, F1’s key support series, has its freight still in Melbourne after the season-opener. Should the Bahrain and Saudi F2 rounds be cancelled without replacement, the championship’s second race would not occur until Monaco in June.
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