The 2026 Formula 1 season will no longer have two of its events on the schedule due to the Iran war, according to a statement from the series director.
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Sky News reported on Friday that F1 and governing body Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) would cancel the April 12 race in Bahrain and the April 19 race in Saudi Arabia. Neither body officially confirmed this at the time of the report, but they released statements ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
The Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy rounds will also fall victim to this schedule change. None of these events will happen.
"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 Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of F1.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank the FIA as well as our incredible promoters for their support and total understanding as they were looking forward to hosting us with their usual energy and passion. We cannot wait to be back with them as soon as the circumstances allow us to do so."
The ongoing war between the United States/Israel and Iran creates personnel safety concerns, especially with the tight turnaround time to get equipment to the Middle East. Teams would need to begin shipping things in the coming days.
This will not be a postponement. According to Sky News, these events will just come off of the schedule for this season. The number of Grands Prix will shorten to only 22 and the teams will have a full month off between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.
The BBC reports that this upcoming decision to cancel the events will cost a massive amount of money. The sport will lose more than one hundred million pounds ($132,270,000 USD). This money is split between the teams and F1.
With these events off the schedule, the attention will turn toward the end of the season and two other Grands Prix that may be in peril.
The F1 teams are scheduled to return to Qatar on Nov. 29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6. These are the final two Grands Prix of the season, and they will play a crucial role in determining the champion.
This will not mark the first time that the Iran war has disrupted motorsports this season. Back on March 3, the FIA announced the postponement of the WEC season-opening events in Qatar. The original dates were March 26-28, but the current plan is to move the Qatar 1812km to later in the year.
"The safety and wellbeing of our community will always be the FIA's first priority, and I thank our Member Club the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, Lusail International Circuit, the ACO and our championship colleagues for the measured and collaborative approach that has led to this decision," said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem in early March.
"As the opening event of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Qatar 1812km holds a special place for many fans, drivers and teams alike, and we will work closely with all involved to reschedule the race for later in the 2026 season.
"The FIA continues to monitor developments across the region and our thoughts remain with all those affected by these recent events as we hope for calm, safety and a return to stability."
