War hits F1
It will be a month of April without Formula 1 on track. As widely expected, the Circus will not stop in either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia next month due to the war unleashed by the United States and Israel against Iran and the subsequent response of the Islamic republic against other countries in the region.
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At the moment, the two races, scheduled for the weekends of April 12 and 19, have not been completely cancelled: F1 has limited itself to underlining that they will not be run on the scheduled dates, evidently in the hope of being able to recover them in the coming months. The 2026 World Championship calendar will have a “gap” of four weeks: after Suzuka (March 27-29), Formula 1 will restart its engines on May 1, when the only free practice sessions will kick off the Miami Sprint weekend.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April
Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East the Grands Prix, alongside F2, F3, and F1 Academy rounds, will not take place as scheduled
While alternatives were considered, no substitutions will be made in… pic.twitter.com/wsgXUR2FKn
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 14, 2026
Domenicali’s words
“Although it was a difficult decision to make, unfortunately it is the right one at this stage, considering the current situation in the Middle East“, commented F1 president Stefano Domenicali. “I take this opportunity to thank the FIA and the promoters for their support and total understanding, as they were looking forward to hosting us with their usual energy and passion. We look forward to returning to them as soon as circumstances allow“.
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Ben Sulayem’s words
“The FIA will always put the safety and well-being of our community and our colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have made this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind. We continue to hope for calm, safety and a rapid return to stability in the region, and my thoughts go out to all those affected by recent events“, added FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, my sincere thanks to the promoters, our partners and our colleagues across the championship for the collaborative and constructive approach that led to this decision“.
F1 waited until the last moment to save the original calendar, after all there was no technical time to set up a GP in Imola or Portimão with only one month’s notice (despite F1 having evaluated these hypotheses).
While Domenicali and Ben Sulayem’s hope is to organize the 24-race championship anyway, the ongoing war in the Middle East could last for months: not only will it be difficult to recover Bahrain and Jeddah, but the stages in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which would theoretically close the championship, are not certain either.
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