The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia F1 races are unlikely to be rescheduled, but the WEC’s Qatar round has been moved to October.
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Published March 13, 2026
Next month’s F1 Grand Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is due to be canceled at the weekend due to the Middle East conflict.
Sources told Reuters that an announcement, seen in the sports world as only a matter of time, was expected to be made by Monday at the latest, with a March 20 deadline looming for cargo that needs to be shipped to Bahrain for logistical reasons.
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Sky Sports TV, which has broadcast rights in Britain, where most of the 11 teams are based, said it understood the race would be canceled by Sunday night.
Most of the team’s personnel will be staying in hotels as the United States and Israel continue to attack Iran, with Iranian drones and missiles hitting some Middle Eastern capitals, including Manama, Bahrain.
F1 will hold its second race of the season in China this weekend, following last weekend’s opening race in Australia.
Officials had previously suggested that either race in the Middle East was unlikely to be substituted or rescheduled, with the series leaving April a blank month and the championship reduced to 22 rounds.
Bahrain was scheduled for April 12th and Saudi Arabia’s race was scheduled for April 19th in Jeddah.
The third race, the Japanese Grand Prix, will be held on March 29th, and the next race will be held in Miami on May 3rd.
Audi team boss Jonathan Wheatley told reporters after practice at the Shanghai circuit: “I think we are following the guidance of the FIA and F1, as always. They have always guided us in the right direction.”
“No one is willing to compromise on anything that puts the team in an uncomfortable situation.”
There was no immediate comment from F1, which is owned by Liberty Media, or the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
The World Endurance Championship (WEC) has already postponed the opening round scheduled for March 26-28 in Qatar, with the first race scheduled for April 19 at Italy’s Imola circuit.
The Qatar round, to be held at the Lusail circuit outside Doha, which also hosts F1 in November, has been rescheduled for October 24th as the penultimate round before the final race in Bahrain on November 7th.
MotoGP is scheduled to race in Qatar on April 12th, but that round is also likely to be cancelled.
