F1 cuts Bahrain and Saudi rounds; season falls to 22 races

Formula 1 has moved to cancel its April Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, cutting the planned 24-race season to 22 events. Multiple outlets said the Bahrain round (mid-April) and the Jeddah race (the following week) were set to be left off the calendar; F1 and the FIA had been coordinating with the Bahrain and Jeddah promoters but declined public comment as decisions were being finalized. Reports linked the cancellations to recent strikes and reprisals in the Gulf, and organizers were expected to confirm the removals imminently.

The removals create a significant gap in the early season, with reports varying on whether there will be a four- or five-week break between the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka (late March) and the Miami round (early May). Freight and equipment movements were disrupted: freight due to leave Japan would be diverted to Miami; sea-freight garage equipment and tire-test kits were reported to remain in Sakhir; crates were stuck in Jeddah; and F2 and F3 freight was said to be in Melbourne. Those issues complicate parts movement and support-series planning.

Teams would gain roughly an extra month at their bases for development and simulator work, but many upgrade programs would be delayed and a mandated compression-ratio test is now expected to fall after five races instead of seven. Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley described the situation as an operational “bump in the road.” FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem said safety and well-being would guide decisions and expressed sympathy for those affected by the conflict. Organizers explored short-notice replacement venues including Portimão, Imola and Istanbul and considered running two races at the same circuit, but judged substitutes unlikely because promoters would probably not pay hosting fees and freight timing made logistics impractical; Imola was also unavailable for one of the April dates because the World Endurance Championship had moved its Qatar weekend there. Several outlets said F1 and the FIA planned to leave the Bahrain and Saudi rounds out of the calendar rather than seek substitutes, keeping the championship at 22 events and producing a condensed, operationally challenging early season for teams and organizers.