Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs to be cancelled amid Middle East war - BBC Sport

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the Middle East war.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were scheduled for next month

F1 CorrespondentPublished13 March 2026The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix that were scheduled for next month are set to be cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East.

A formal decision to call off the races has not yet been made but is expected 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 conflict between the US/Israel and Iran coming to a conclusion, holding the races would put personnel at too great a risk.

Neither event will be replaced, so the season will be cut to 22 grands prix and F1 take a commercial hit of more than £100m, given Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the highest hosting fees.