2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix

2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The respective layouts of the Bahrain International and Jeddah Corniche circuits
Race details[1][2]
Date Planned for 12 and 19 April 2026
Official name Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026
Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026
Location Bahrain International Circuit
Sakhir, Bahrain
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Course Permanent racing facility
Street circuit
Course length Bahrain: 5.412 km
Jeddah: 6.174 km (Bahrain: 3.363 miles
Jeddah: 3.836 miles)
Distance Bahrain: 57 laps
Jeddah: 50 laps, Bahrain: 308.238 km
Jeddah: 308.450 km (Bahrain: 190.253 miles
Jeddah: 191.662 miles)

The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026) and the 2026 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula One STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026) were Formula One motor races that were scheduled to be held on 12 and 19 April 2026, at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, respectively, as part of the 2026 Formula One World Championship. Both races were scheduled to be held as the fourth and fifth rounds of the season. On 14 March, Formula One announced the cancellation of both races due to the breakout of the 2026 Iran war.[3]

Background

Both Grands Prix were set to be held across the weekend of 10–12 April and 17–19 April 2026, respectively.[1] They would have comprised the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2026 Formula One World Championship.

Outbreak of the war and subsequent cancellation

Further information: 2026 Iran war

The Bahrain[4] and Saudi Arabian[5][6] Grands Prix were both contracted for a race in the 2026 season. On 28 February 2026, the Iran war broke out following targeted airstrikes by Israel and the United States.[7] In retaliation, Iran launched numerous counterattacks targeting numerous American military bases around the Middle East, including those in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which are host countries to Formula One Grands Prix.[8] Shortly after the conflict began, Pirelli cancelled impending tyre tests at the Bahrain International Circuit.[9]

Following the outbreak of the war, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) monitored the unfolding situation, prioritising the safety of drivers and team members. Earlier in March, the FIA postponed the Qatar 1812 km, the opening race of the World Endurance Championship, to October, hence Imola became the opening round of that season.[10][11] Though the FIA had explored replacements, including a return to Imola and the recently-contracted[12] Portuguese Grand Prix, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were to be held early in the season, meaning that replacements could not be arranged on short notice.[13] Ultimately, the FIA cancelled both races, citing the safety of personnel as a reason.[3][14] The Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy races were also cancelled.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  2. ^ "Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026 – F1 Race". Formula1.com. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b Cleeren, Filip (14 March 2026). "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia F1 races officially called off as Iran conflict rages". Autosport. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Bahrain Grand Prix to remain in F1 until 2036". ESPN.com. 11 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Jeddah expects to host F1 race until Qiddiya circuit is ready in 2027". RACER. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  6. ^ "F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Promoters See Possibility of Two Races There by 2027". Autoweek. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  7. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (28 February 2026). "Satellite image shows destruction of Khamenei's compound". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
  8. ^ Piper, Imogen; Kelly, Meg; Ley, Jarrett; Ducroquet, Simon (28 February 2026). "See where U.S., Israeli strikes have hit Iran and where Iran has retaliated". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  9. ^ Suttill, Josh; Mitchell-Malm, Scott (28 February 2026). "Pirelli cancels Bahrain F1 test due to safety concerns". The Race. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  10. ^ Goodwin, Graham; Kilbey, Stephen (3 March 2026). "FIA WEC Qatar 1812KM Postponed, Season To Start At Imola". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  11. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (6 March 2026). "WEC shifts pre-season Prologue test to Imola". RACER.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Formula 1 to return to Portugal in 2027 and 2028". Formula 1.com. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  13. ^ Cooper, Adam (13 March 2026). "Revealed: Middle East F1 races won't be replaced if they are cancelled". Crash.net.
  14. ^ Benson, Andrew (14 March 2026). "F1 cancels Bahrain & Saudi Arabia Grands Prix because of Iran war impact". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs will not take place in April". Formula One. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.