F1 ‘set to cancel’ 2026 races this weekend

Photo: © IMAGO

F1 2026

F1 ‘set to cancel’ 2026 races this weekend

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs are set to be cancelled

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 13 March 2026 17:46

F1 are set to cancel two of 2026's scheduled grands prix this weekend.

The sport is in China this weekend for the second round of the 2026 season, and it is believed that official word will come through at some point during the weekend regarding rounds four and five in the schedule.

F1 is currently set to head to Bahrain for round four of the season in April before a week later heading to Saudi Arabia, but the conflict in the Middle East has brought those events into question.

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The Pirelli tyre test ahead of the season in Bahrain was cancelled due to initial Iranian strikes on Bahrain military bases, and the conflict has intensified since then, with no immediate sign of ending.

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Cancellations set to become official

Sky Sports are reporting that because of this, official word about the cancellation of the two grands prix in April is set to come this weekend, bringing the season down to a 22-race season.

The report says that there are no plans to replace the two races with other events, meaning there will be a five-week gap between the Japanese GP at the end of March and the Miami GP in May.

GPFans have contacted F1 for comment on the reports.

When was an F1 race last cancelled?

We have become accustomed in recent years to F1 races dropping off the schedule, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing chaos for the 2020 and 2021 F1 seasons.

But the last race to be cancelled actually came in 2023, during Max Verstappen and Red Bull's dominant season.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled due to severe flooding in the region, with the event called off so that emergency services would be more readily available to locals, rather than being stationed at the track.

F1 Chinese Grand Prix Bahrain Grand Prix Saudi Arabian Grand Prix