The war in Iran is expected to change the F1 calendar, which opens its 2026 season this weekend, with the stage held in Melbourne, Australia.
Since last week, the category has been monitoring the progress of the conflict in the Middle East and discussing the possibility of postponing or canceling the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
American and Israeli bombings against several important cities in Iran and retaliatory attacks in the region have raised doubts about the feasibility of holding these races.
An American naval base just 32 kilometers from the Bahrain circuit was hit on Saturday (28), while Iran also launched attacks against targets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all countries hosting stages of the World Cup.
According to Reuters, the most likely outcome is the reduction of the World Cup to 22 stages. The night race in Bahrain, at the Sakhir circuit, is scheduled for April 12, and the race in Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah, for the following weekend.
Before these stages, F1 passes through Australia, in the early hours of this Sunday (8), with a start scheduled for 1 am (Brasília time). Afterwards, the championship continues with races in China and Japan.
The category has not canceled a GP since 2023, when floods in northern Italy prevented the race from taking place in Imola. F1 also had to cancel several races in the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the moment, World Cup executives remain cautious about the decision to be made. “We don’t want to make any statements today [sexta, 6] because things are evolving and we still have time to make the right decision. This decision will be taken jointly,” F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports.
“I really hope we can race. Is it realistic for us to race there at this point? I’m not sure,” added Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
According to Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, the teams are on hold. “We can only wait and see how things unfold and we will make the most appropriate decision for the health of everyone involved in the sport.”
“Obviously, for the sport, for ourselves, for the fans, for the partners and for our racing team, all of this will be of the utmost importance from a safety point of view,” he added.
Rescheduling the races to the same locations but on other dates throughout the year would be extremely difficult, particularly given the high temperatures in the region during the European summer and autumn.
The situation leaves F1 in a delicate condition, as races in the Middle East contribute significantly to the category’s financial results. Bahrain, for example, has ties to the McLaren team, which it owns. Saudi Arabia has several sponsors and investors in the World Cup.
It would also not be easy to find a gap in the calendar, mainly due to the need to maintain the August break and ease the burden on the teams.
There is also the logistical challenge of fitting new stages into the calendar. Among the possibilities discussed at this time is holding a second race in Suzuka, right after the third stage, but the idea comes up against the delicate moment experienced by Honda, owner of the track.
The company has little incentive to have F1 race twice at the same location amid the crisis with the engine supplied to Aston Martin. The team of drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll must only run a few laps during the race in Australia to fulfill commercial commitments.
According to team principal Adrian Newey, drivers will have a limited number of laps to race in order to avoid the risk of nerve damage in their hands due to engine vibration.
In addition to the stages in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, F1 has three other races scheduled for the region: Azerbaijan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which will take place. The Azerbaijan GP is scheduled for September 26th, followed by the Qatar weekend six races later on November 29th, before the planned conclusion in Abu Dhabi on December 6th.
