The organizers of the Formula 1 World Championship for car racing announced on Saturday that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix will not take place in April due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
This announcement was widely expected, and the statement issued by the Liberty Media-owned Formula 1 Championship and the International Automobile Federation along with local organizers stated that the races will not be replaced in next month's race schedule.
Sources said that rescheduling the races later this year is unlikely due to logistical and weather conditions, but the statement did not explicitly rule this out, thus reducing the number of races from 24 to 22 this year.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said, "Despite the difficulty of making this decision, it is unfortunately the right decision at this time considering the current situation in the Middle East."
The Bahrain International Circuit was scheduled to host the fourth round of the season on April 12, followed by the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia the following week.
The races are held under the floodlights at night.
* Shipping deadline approaching
American and Israeli attacks continue on Iran, which has launched drones and missiles at countries in the region, including Manama, the capital of Bahrain, where team members were scheduled to stay.
Airports in the region, including Manama Airport, are closed, with Iran threatening to close the main commercial route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain is also home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
Informed sources said that the final deadline for shipping race equipment to Bahrain is March 20. The championship is currently in Shanghai and will then move to Japan, where its Grand Prix is scheduled for March 29.
After the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races, Miami will be the next round after Japan on May 3.
The International Automobile Federation said it studied holding the races at two alternative sites, but ultimately decided to cancel them.
The Federation added that the decision was made in full consultation with Liberty Media-owned Formula 1, local organizers, and members of the International Automobile Federation.
Also, Formula 2 and Formula 3 races and the Formula 1 Women's Academy scheduled in the Middle East will not be held.
Emirati Mohamed Ben Sulayem, president of the federation, stated in the announcement, "The International Automobile Federation will always prioritize the safety and well-being of our community and colleagues".
He added, "After careful consideration, we made this decision with this responsibility in mind. We continue to hope for peace, safety, and a quick return to stability in the region."
He continued, "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are extremely important to our race system, and I look forward to returning to both countries as soon as conditions allow."
* The races pay substantial hosting fees
The races significantly contribute to the Formula 1 racing budget, with Bahrain's hosting fees alone estimated at about $45 million annually, and Saudi hosting fees likely higher than that.
This is the second time the Bahrain race has been cancelled, which is its largest sporting event of the year.
The 2011 race was cancelled due to civil unrest in the kingdom.
Doubts arose about the Jeddah race in 2022 after missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on an oil facility near the race circuit.
The Grand Prix was held after teams received security assurances and drivers met for more than four hours to discuss the situation.
The races also represent important investors in this sport, as the Bahraini sovereign wealth fund (Mumtalakat) owns the McLaren title-holding team, while the giant Saudi oil company Aramco is the main sponsor of the Aston Martin team.
The Saudi Press Agency reported Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal as saying, "We respect the decision of the International Automobile Federation and Formula 1 not to hold the race at the scheduled time".
He added, "We assure the international sports community that the kingdom was fully prepared to host this race, which has been successfully hosted in five previous editions".
