Formula 1 and its governing body, the FIA, announced that the Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not take place in April due to safety concerns related to the Iran war. Both countries have been impacted during Iran's retaliatory attacks after the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran. The announcement was made early on Sunday morning in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
In an official statement, F1 said: "Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April. While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April." The Bahrain Grand Prix was scheduled for April 12, and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah for April 19.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of F1, stated: "While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East." FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: "The FIA will always place the safety and well-being of our community and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind." They did not explicitly rule out rescheduling the races but avoided using the words "cancel" or "postpone."
The promoters of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia expressed support for the decision. F1's packed schedule does not have any obvious open dates for rescheduled races this year. Calling off the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix means there will be a five-week gap from the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 to the next race, the Miami Grand Prix, on May 3. Without rescheduling, the 22-race schedule would be the shortest since 2023.
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli commented: "My thoughts are with the ones that are suffering from this situation. Safety needs to be the priority." Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said: "I think we follow the guidance of the FIA and Formula 1, as we always do. They've always led us in the right direction. Nobody's going to compromise on anything that would put teams into an uncomfortable situation." The last time a scheduled F1 race was cancelled was in 2023, when the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy was called off due to deadly floods.
Source: www.aljazeera.com