Bahrain and Saudi Formula One races in April set to be cancelled due to Middle East conflict

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SHANGHAI – Formula One’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix in April are likely to be cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Multiple sources told Reuters that an announcement was expected by March 16 at the latest, with a March 20 deadline looming for freight that has to be transported to Bahrain for logistical reasons.

Sky Sports television, which has the broadcasting rights in Britain where most of the 11 teams are based, said it understood the races would be called off by the evening of March 15.

US and Israeli attacks on Iran are continuing while Iranian drones and missiles have hit some Middle Eastern capitals including Bahrain’s Manama, where most team personnel would be staying in hotels.

Formula One is racing in China this weekend for the second round of the season after the opener in Australia on March 8.

Sources have indicated previously that neither Middle Eastern race is likely to be replaced or rescheduled, leaving April an empty month for the series and the championship reduced to 22 rounds.

Bahrain was scheduled for April 12 with the Saudi race in Jeddah on April 19. The Japanese Grand Prix, the third round, is on March 29 with the next race then in Miami on May 3.

“I think we follow the guidance of the FIA and Formula One, as we always do. They’ve always led us in the right direction,” Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley told reporters after practice at the Shanghai circuit.

“Nobody’s going to compromise on anything that would put teams into an uncomfortable situation.”

There was no immediate comment from Liberty Media-owned Formula One or the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The World Endurance Championship has already postponed what would have been its season-opener in Qatar on March 28, with the first race now scheduled for Italy’s Imola circuit on April 19.

The Qatar round at the Lusail circuit outside Doha, which also hosts Formula One in November, has been rescheduled for Oct 24 as the penultimate round before the finale in Bahrain on Nov 7.

MotoGP is due to race in Qatar on April 12 with that round also likely to be cancelled.

Back at the Chinese Grand Prix on March 14, Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli became the youngest F1 driver to take pole position for a full grand prix after qualifying fastest for Mercedes.

The 19-year-old qualified 0.222 seconds faster than championship-leading teammate George Russell, who secured the Mercedes front-row lockout after earlier car trouble.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was third fastest.

Antonelli was already the youngest pole sitter in any format after leading qualifying for the 2025 Miami sprint, but in Shanghai on March 14, he demolished Sebastian Vettel’s previous grand prix record that the German set as a 21-year-old in 2008.

“It was a pretty clean session, so I’m really happy,” he said.

“I saw he (Russell) had the issue and tried to keep my focus to stay calm and deliver a good lap. No mistakes and looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

The 28-year-old Russell got in only one lap after coming to a halt on track early in the final phase and complaining over the radio that there was no battery and he could not shift gear.

The Briton managed to get the car going again and returned to the pits where mechanics worked flat out to get him back out before the chequered flag.

“Definitely damage limitation,” said Russell, who won the earlier sprint to go 11 points clear at the top.

“Q2, the front wing broke, we were wrapping our heads around that. Then obviously went out in Q3, car stopped on track, car wasn’t restarting, couldn’t change gear.

“Starting the last lap I had no battery, no tyre temp, no nothing. But the team have done a really great job to get us into this position; it could have been much worse.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth with the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and reigning champion Lando Norris fifth and sixth.

Pierre Gasly qualified seventh for Renault-owned Alpine with four-time world champion Max Verstappen eighth for Red Bull and the Dutch driver’s new teammate Isack Hadjar ninth.

Oliver Bearman of Ferrari-powered Haas completed the top 10. REUTERS, AFP