The impact of the Iran war on the 2026 Formula 1 season The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been cancelled

The military attack carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran is also having direct consequences on the 2026 Formula 1 season. More specifically, the bombings across the Middle East have forced Formula 1’s leadership to take the decision to cancel both the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Why were the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix cancelled?

As stated in the official communication released by Formula 1: "after careful evaluations, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April... The Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 ACADEMY rounds will also not take place during their scheduled times. The decision has been taken in full consultation with the FIA and respective promoters.".

According to estimates from BBC, cancelling these Grands Prix will result in a commercial revenue loss of around €115 million. This amount will effectively be deducted from the prize money that F1 teams split at the end of the season based on their results.

Imola, Portimão and Istanbul as possible alternatives

In the same official statement, Formula 1 explained that alternative options were evaluated to replace Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but ultimately the championship decided not to proceed. According to The Race, the possible substitutes included Imola, Portimão and Istanbul, as well as a potential back-to-back race weekend in Japan at the Suzuka circuit, which is currently scheduled on March 29. Logistical challenges and the commercial difficulties of organizing a Grand Prix in such a short timeframe ultimately led Formula 1 and Liberty Media to abandon the idea.

As a result of this decision, the 2026 Formula 1 calendar will now feature 22 races instead of 24. No further changes are currently planned, but additional considerations may arise later in the season, given that the final two Grands Prix are scheduled in Qatar (November 29) and Abu Dhabi (December 6), two countries that are currently involved in the ongoing conflict.

How does the 2026 Formula 1 calendar change?

The cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will create a long pause in the 2026 Formula 1 schedule. The third race of the season will now be the Japanese Grand Prix, set to take place on March 29. After that, there will be no races throughout the month of April. Formula 1 will return to the track during the first weekend of May with the Miami Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, May 3.