Official F1 calendar shows Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been cancelled

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Official F1 calendar shows Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs have been cancelled

The official F1 calendar shows both April race weekends as being 'called off'

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 14 March 2026 08:01

The official F1 2026 schedule available for fans to sync to their own calendar is already showing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix as being 'called off'.

The upcoming races are yet to be officially cancelled by F1 and the FIA, but it is expected that an announcement to that end will be made before the weekend is over.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has intensified in recent weeks after a bombing campaign in Iran was launched by the United States and Israel, with Iran retaliating by launching strikes that targeted US bases in nearby countries.

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One of those countries was Bahrain, the home of the Sakhir circuit which hosted two weeks of the F1 2026 pre-season testing just last month.

As the conflict escalated, questions were raised over whether the fourth and fifth rounds of the F1 2026 championship were at risk, with a recent statement from Mohammed Ben Sulayem provided to GPFans by an FIA spokesperson stating: “As President of the FIA, my thoughts are with all those affected by the recent events in the Middle East. We are deeply saddened by the loss of life and stand with the families and communities impacted.

"At this moment of uncertainty, we hope for calm, safety, and a swift return to stability. Dialogue and the protection of civilians must remain priorities.

"We are in close contact with our Member Clubs, championship promoters, teams, and colleagues on the ground as we monitor developments carefully and responsibly.

"Safety and wellbeing will guide our decisions as we assess the forthcoming events scheduled there. Our organisation is built on unity and shared purpose. That unity matters now more than ever."

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F1 to move to 22-race calendar

At this weekend's Chinese GP, Sky Sports reported that because of the ongoing conflict, F1 are all set to confirm the double race cancellation, with official word about the races being called off expected to come before the Shanghai sprint weekend is over.

Once confirmed, this will bring the F1 2026 season down to a 22-race campaign, given that it had already been reported that if cancelled, no replacement races would be assigned.

But when F1 do move to confirm the double race cancellation, it won't come as a surprise for fans who had already synced their personal calendars to the F1 race schedule.

In the early hours of Saturday, March 14, those with the F1 synced calendar may have noticed that both of the grand prix weekends planned for April had been edited to read: 'CALLED OFF', with the official calendar confirming the reduced calendar before F1 have officially made the announcement themselves.

F1's fan-synced calendar shows Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs 'called off'

Despite F1 opting to not select a replacement destination for the April race weekends, support series' F2 and F3 are believed to be searching for alternative destinations, with both categories also governed by the FIA.

F3 doesn't race in Saudi Arabia so would only be looking to find one potential replacement race for their events on the weekend of April 10-April 12, which is currently scheduled to take place in Bahrain.

F2 on the other hand had planned to follow F1 to both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, so would need to find two replacement tracks between April 10-April 12 and April 17-April 19.

FIA Bahrain Grand Prix Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 calendar