Formula 1 has officially cancelled two rounds which were due to take place in the Middle East, as a result of the war in Iran.
The USA and Israel began strikes against Iran on February 28th. Iran retaliated by striking facilities in other countries in the region, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which F1 was due to visit next month.
The FIA has confirmed the races at Bahrain International Circuit on April 12th and Jeddah Corniche Circuit on April 19th will not go ahead. Nor will the Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy races at those circuits.
In a statement, the FIA confirmed the two Middle East rounds “will not take place in April” and “no substitutions will be made in April”, leaving open the possibility of rescheduling the races or holding replacement rounds later in the year. It said “several alternatives were considered” to the cancelled races.
However fitting any further rounds in after April may prove challenging due to the density of the calendar. Aside from the summer break, which is enforced by the series’ regulations, few opportunities exist to schedule extra rounds without creating runs of three or more consecutive events which would place a high burden on staff.
F1 therefore faces a five-week gap between its next round of the championship, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on March 29th and the Miami Grand Prix on the first weekend of May. As it stands the championship will comprise 22 rounds instead of the original 24.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said “the FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first.
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“After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind. We continue to hope for calm, safety and a swift return to stability in the region, and my thoughts remain with all those affected by these recent events.”
The FIA has already cancelled another major event in the Middle East. The World Endurance Championship’s season-opening round at Losail in Qatar, which was scheduled for March 28th, was called off 11 days ago.
This is the second time the Bahrain Grand Prix has been cancelled, aside from its rescheduling due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The 2011 race did not go ahead after the government’s security forces violently suppressed protests demanding political reform.
Saudi Arabia’s second grand prix went ahead in 2022 despite a missile strike on a nearby oil plant.
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