Formula One and the US/Israel Iran War
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix, scheduled for April 2026, are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.
A formal decision to cancel these races has not yet been made, but it is expected to be made before the end of the weekend.
Freight would need to start being shipped to the Middle East in the coming days. With no sign of the war between the US/Israel and Iran ending, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.
The Bahrain race was scheduled to take place on 12 April 2026 and the one in Jeddah on 19 April 2026.
Neither race will be replaced, with the season being cut to 22 Grands Prix. As a result, the teams and the commercial rights holder of Formula One are expected to lose more than £100 million (around €115.8 million), as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.
The possibility, however, of holding these races at Portimão in Portugal, Imola in Italy or Istanbul Park in Turkey was considered, but it was accepted that the time needed to organise a race at any of those locations was too short, apart from the fact of there being little chance of securing a hosting fee.
The decision will mean that there is now a five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March 2025 and Miami Grand Prix on 3 May 2026.
The 2026 Formula One season will now comprise 22 races rather than 24, and everything will continue as usual after this new break in the races.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
