Formula 1 expected to cancel races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia amid Iran war: Sources

Formula 1 is expected to cancel races next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to safety reasons as a military conflict grows in the Middle East, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News

Formula 1 is expected to cancel races next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to safety reasons as a military conflict grows in the Middle East, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

F1 had scheduled a race in Bahrain for April 12 and another in Saudi Arabia on April 19, two mainstays on the calendar for years.

But the war launched by the United States and Israel on Iran has spread across the region and into those two countries, creating major security concerns and uncertainty about whether traveling or racing there will be safe.

The cancellation could be announced by F1 and the FIA, the sport’s governing body, by the end of this weekend. It would cut the number of Grand Prix weekends in 2026 for the racing series from 24 to 22. The news was first reported Friday by Sky Sports.

A Formula 1 spokesperson declined to comment.