Category decision takes into account unsafe airspace and recent attacks carried out in countries
The Formula 1 organization announced that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix have been postponed, with no set date, due to the conflicts that are taking place in the Middle East. They would be held in April on the 12th and 19th.
Iranian missiles hit a U.S. military base in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. Middle Eastern airspace is currently considered unsafe, with flights passing through the region being rerouted.
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As a result, Formula 1 will have a hiatus between the Japanese and Miami GPs, with no races in April. The official position of the FIA is to hold these two races later in the year, including keeping the races in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the calendar.
In the official note of Formula 1, it is said by Stefano Domenicali, president of the competition, that it was a difficult decision to make. He also claims that the change in the calendar was made with the support of the FIA and the race organizers.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem stressed that the organization always puts safety first. He expects peace to be restored soon in the Middle East region. The Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy stages held in the Middle East were also postponed.
According to the BBC, Formula 1 is expected to suffer a loss of £100 million (about R$ 760 million in direct conversion), as these countries pay two of the highest fees to host the races. The British network also found that they considered including Portimao, in Portugal, Imola, in Italy, and Istanbul Park, in Turkey, to make up for the lack of the two Middle Eastern countries.
At the end of February, Formula 1 canceled tire tests carried out in Bahrain after a missile hit a US navy base in the country. At that time there was already a concern that conflicts would affect racing in the region.
The 2026 Formula 1 calendar has been reorganized to facilitate the logistics of transporting the category around the globe and reduce carbon emissions, the most likely thing is that these two races will be positioned at the end of the year along with the Qatar and United Arab Emirates Grand Prix. That is if the conflicts have already ended, otherwise there will be two more cancellations and the season will end at 20 races in Las Vegas.
