Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Saudi Arabia first hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2021 By Andrew Benson F1 Correspondent Published 2 hours ago The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekends in April have been cancelled as a result of the war in the Middle East. Formula 1 has concluded after "careful evaluations" that it is not safe to hold either race because of the ongoing conflict across the region. "While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April," Formula 1's governing body the FIA said in a statement before Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix. The Bahrain event at Sakhir was scheduled for 10-12 April, while the Saudi event in Jeddah would have taken place a week later. The races will not be rescheduled or replaced, so the F1 season will be reduced to 22 races and there will be a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on 27-29 March and Miami on 1-3 May. "The FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind," said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Cancellations of the race weekends mean the sport will take a commercial hit of well over £100m as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay two of the largest hosting fees on the circuit. That money is split between the 11 teams and F1 itself, according to the sports complicated revenue structure. "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," Ben Sulayem added. Analysis: Cancellation felt inevitable The decision to cancel the Bahrain and Saudi races was inevitable as soon as it became clear there would be no quick end to the war the US and Israel launched against Iran at the end of February. The conflict had already disrupted F1 this season, with a large number of personnel having their journeys to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last weekend disrupted when airspace in the Middle East was closed. It left teams, F1 and media scrambling to find alternative routes to Melbourne to replace those many had planned via popular transit hubs in the Gulf such as Dubai and Doha. In Australia, it was already clear that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian events were under serious threat unless the conflict could be quickly resolved. That was because of the known demands of F1 international freight and logistics. With both sites at risk of attack from Iran or its allies, the cancellation announcement felt inevitable for some time. The Bahraini capital Manama hosts a US naval base in the residential district of Juffair, where many F1 personnel stay during the race weekend. Jeddah is further away on the western side of the Arabian peninsula, but the Saudi event was hit in 2022 when a missile strike was launched against a nearby oil facility by Yemeni Houthi rebels, allies of Iran. F1 did
Originally reported by BBC Sport. Published on ABN12.