Planning impossible
Alert sirens notably sounded in Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian missile and drone launches targeting American interests in the region. This new escalation comes as Formula 1 was working on a possible return of the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2026 calendar.
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Originally scheduled earlier in the season, the race had been postponed, not definitively canceled, due to the regional conflict. This decision thus left the possibility for F1 to find a new date to hold the event before the end of the championship.
One of the options considered was to schedule the Bahrain Grand Prix at the beginning of October, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds. Such a scenario would have led to organizing three consecutive Grands Prix, with Baku, Sakhir, then Singapore. A particularly demanding solution logistically for the teams, but which would allow Formula 1 to recover the postponed race.
Decision before Spa?
However, the recent deterioration of the security situation seriously calls into question the feasibility of this project. The Formula 1 and Formula 2 teams expected to receive official communication regarding the future of the Bahrain Grand Prix before the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The latest events could now force the discipline’s leaders to postpone their decision.
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The safety of the teams, drivers, staff, and spectators will obviously remain the main factor considered before any confirmation of a new date. If the Bahrain Grand Prix were ultimately to regain its place on the calendar, it would also contribute to making the second half of the 2026 season particularly busy.
For now, no definitive decision has been announced. The future of the Bahrain Grand Prix therefore largely depends on the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East in the coming weeks. Formula 1 theoretically retains the possibility of organizing the race this season, but the new escalation of tensions now makes its return to the calendar much more uncertain, as does the round in Qatar and even the championship finale scheduled in Abu Dhabi in early December.
It is also worth noting that the WEC has just modified its end-of-season calendar, with the two events planned in Bahrain and Qatar being replaced by stops in Monza and Barcelona.
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