F1 calls off races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to Middle East conflict

Formula One’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April due to the conflict in the Middle East, the sport announced on Saturday, March 14.

The announcement had been widely expected and the statement by the Liberty media-owned sport and governing FIA, as well as local promoters, said the races will not be replaced on the calendar next month.

Sources have said they are also unlikely to be rescheduled for later in the year due to logistics and weather, although the statement did not explicitly rule that out, with the calendar set to be reduced from 24 to 22 races.

“While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

Bahrain’s desert Sakhir circuit had been due to host the fourth round of the season on April 12 with Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche track following the weekend after.

Both races are floodlit and at night.

Freight deadline was looming

US and Israeli attacks on Iran are continuing while Iranian drones and missiles have hit Middle Eastern capitals including Bahrain’s Manama, where team personnel would be staying in hotels.

Airports in the region have closed, including Manama, with Iran threatening to block the key trade route through the Strait of Hormuz.

Bahrain is also the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

The deadline for freight for the race to be sent to Bahrain was March 20, according to informed sources. Formula One is currently racing in Shanghai, China, with Japan next on the calendar on March 29.

Miami will now be the next round after that on May 3, a five-week gap. For some, such as struggling Aston Martin, that could be a welcome breathing space to improve their car.

The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said that while several alternative venues had been considered, it was ultimately decided to leave April blank.

It said the decision had been taken in full consultation with Liberty Media-owned Formula One, local promoters, and FIA member clubs.

Formula Two, Formula Three, and the all-female F1 Academy rounds scheduled for the Middle Eastern races will also not go ahead there.

“The FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first,” said FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who comes from the United Arab Emirates, in the statement.

“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,” he added.

“Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow.”

Both races pay significant hosting fees

The two races are major contributors to Formula One’s balance sheet and team finances, with Bahrain’s hosting fees alone estimated at around $45 million a year and Saudi Arabia’s likely to be higher.

It is the second time Bahrain has had the race, its biggest sporting event of the year, cancelled.

In 2011 it was called off due to civil unrest in the Gulf kingdom.

The Jeddah race was called into question in 2022 after missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on an oil facility near the circuit.

The grand prix went ahead after teams received safety assurances and drivers met for more than four hours to discuss the situation.

The races are both also significant investors in the sport, with Bahrain’s Mumtalakat sovereign wealth fund the owners of reigning champions McLaren while Saudi oil giant Aramco is title sponsor of Aston Martin.

“We respect the decision of the (FIA) and Formula One not to hold the race at its scheduled time,” the Saudi state news agency SPA quoted Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal as saying.

“We affirm to the international sporting community that the Kingdom was fully prepared to host this race, which it has previously hosted successfully and with distinction on five occasions.” – Rappler.com