Formula 1 and its governing body, the FIA, have announced that the Grand Prix races scheduled for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not take place due to safety concerns related to the ongoing war involving Iran .
The announcement was made early Sunday morning in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, with both countries having been struck during Iran’s response to a wave of attacks launched by the United States and Israel .
“Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April,” F1 said in a statement. “While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April” .
Formula 1 was scheduled to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on April 19 .
Stefano Domenicali, president and CEO of Formula 1, described the decision as difficult but necessary.
“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,” Domenicali said .
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem emphasized that safety remains the top priority.
“The FIA will always place the safety and well being of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind,” Ben Sulayem said .
The FIA did not explicitly rule out rescheduling the races and, along with F1, did not use the words “cancel” or “postpone” in announcing the series would not be in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia next month . Ben Sulayem added: “Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow” .
Calling off the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian races means there will be a five-week gap from the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the next race, the Miami Grand Prix on May 3 . Without any rescheduling, the 22-race schedule would be the shortest since 2023 .
F1’s packed schedule doesn’t have any obvious open dates for rescheduled races this year .
The promoters of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia said they supported the decision .
Bahrain had already hosted two preseason F1 tests this season before Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran . A smaller-scale test of wet-weather tires was called off in the immediate aftermath of those strikes .
A travel shutdown affecting major airports in the Middle East also caused disruption for Europe-based F1 and team staff heading to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix .
Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver who qualified on pole position for Sunday’s race in Shanghai, said his thoughts were “with the ones that are suffering from this situation” and that safety needed to be the priority . He expressed confidence in the governing bodies, adding: “I’m sure they will do the right thing” .
Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley indicated teams would follow the lead of the FIA and F1. “I think we follow the guidance of the FIA and Formula 1, as we always do. They’ve always led us in the right direction. Nobody’s going to compromise on anything that would put teams into an uncomfortable situation,” he said .
The last time a scheduled F1 race was canceled was in 2023, when the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in northern Italy was called off at short notice due to deadly floods in the area .
In 2022, F1 canceled the Russian Grand Prix’s contract after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine, but continued with its race weekend in Saudi Arabia even after Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked an oil depot during a practice session .
