F1 ‘to cancel two races’ in major announcement and stance on replacement | F1 | Sport

Formula One are about to cancel two upcoming races because of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, according to reports. US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran sparked chaos in the region last month, with the Iranian military having launched attacks of its own on their Middle Eastern neighbours.

The strike targets included Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, which are scheduled locations for the fourth and fifth Grands Prix of the 2026 F1 season. However, as reported by Crash, the Formula One bigwigs are expected to take decisive action and cancel both races because of security concerns.

There are no plans to replace either, even in the calendar, which leaves a gap of over a month in between the Japan Grand Prix scheduled for March 29, and the Miami Grand Prix on May 2. Despite the big gap in between races, the cancellations are still expected to cause plenty of logistical problems.

Express Sport has contacted F1 for comment.

The Formula One freight was set to leave Japan after the Suzuka race and head to Bahrain, before moving on to Jeddah a week later for the double header. It’s now being debated whether it will head straight to Miami, or have a pit stop mid-route in a climate-controlled facility.

It could inadvertently play a part in the Formula One title race, given teams will now be granted an extra month to focus on R&D, while processing data from the first three races. It’s particularly interesting that the impromptu break will happen in this season of all seasons, given the new engine regulations that have wreaked havoc across the paddock.

Max Verstappen is among the drivers to have slated the new regulations, saying: “I love racing, but we can only take so much, right? I think they are willing to listen, FIA and F1, I just hope of course that there is some action.

“I mean it’s not that I’m the only one saying it, I think a lot are saying it, if it’s drivers, fans, we just want the best for the sport. It’s not like we are critical just to be critical, we are critical for a reason, we want it to be F1, proper F1 on steroids, today that of course was again not the case.”