Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Formula 1 has abandoned plans to run the Bahrain Grand Prix in early October, with teams told during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa-Francorchamps that renewed hostilities in the Middle East have made the rescheduling plan unworkable.
Bahrain had been the leading option to restore a race weekend to the disrupted 2026 calendar, with the event penciled in for the first weekend of October between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix. After a period in which a return looked achievable, the worsening security picture removed any confidence that conditions would stabilize in time for Formula One Management to commit.
The issue was not limited to the race weekend itself. F1 also had to consider the risk of launching the logistics operation required to stage a grand prix, including freight shipments weeks in advance, charter flights, cargo movements, customs procedures and accommodation for teams, drivers and thousands of personnel, without any guarantee the situation would remain safe throughout that process.
That leaves the final phase of the season less secure than before. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still on the calendar, but both races remain undecided, and the longer F1 waits to make a final call, the less certain it becomes that the season can end as originally planned in the Middle East.
Formula One Management is now weighing fallback options to protect the race count. Portimão in Portugal is regarded as the leading replacement candidate if a late-season event has to be dropped, while a second Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku is also under consideration because it would ease some of the logistical strain.
Even with those contingency plans in place, F1 still wants to finish the season in the Middle East. Bahrain, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are among the championship's most valuable promoter deals, so losing those races would hurt not only hosting-fee income but also hospitality, sponsorship and wider commercial revenue tied to the season-ending run.