Formula 1 Cancels Pair of Upcoming Races in Middle East as War Continues

Photo by: HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

Formula 1 will cancel a pair of upcoming races in the Middle East as the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues to impact the region.

Sky News on Friday afternoon reported that the Bahrain Grand Prix and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix were expected to be canceled. The races were scheduled to take place on April 12 and April 19, respectively.

Instead, Formula 1 will hold the Japanese Grand Prix as scheduled on March 29. Then, there will be an extended break before May 3’s Miami Grand Prix.

A report from ESPN added:

Despite not knowing whether the conflict would be ongoing by the time their event dates roll around, a decision needed to be made imminently due to the logistics of when teams had to start sending freight to the Middle East for both events.

It is highly unlikely the races in the Middle East will be replaced, given the schedule at the back end of the year is tightly packed.

It isn’t the first time the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix has been threatened by regional conflict. In 2022, Houthi rebels attacked an oil depot in the city of Jeddah — miles away from the circuit and days before the race was set to take place. Formula 1 opted to continue with the race weekend as planned, and drivers even held practice sessions as smoke from the attack was visible in the distance.

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