Shanghai, March 15 : Formula 1 has canceled next month's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix because of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, leaving the 2026 season with a reduced 22-race calendar and a lengthy spring break.

The sport confirmed Sunday that the races in Sakhir on April 12 and Jeddah on April 19 will not take place because of security concerns and logistical constraints linked to the ongoing conflict in the region.

The decision comes after weeks of uncertainty following the outbreak of hostilities on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, triggering a wider regional conflict that has disrupted travel and raised security risks, reported Xinhua.

Several countries in the region closed their airspace in the aftermath of the strikes.

Formula 1 and the FIA, the sport's governing body, had been monitoring the situation closely but faced mounting pressure to make a final call as freight deadlines approached. Teams would have needed to ship equipment to the Middle East in the coming days for the races to go ahead.

The cancellation leaves a 35-day gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3, meaning there will be no F1 racing in April.

Formula 1 evaluated several potential replacement venues, including Portimao in Portugal, Imola in Italy and Istanbul Park in Türkiye, all of which staged replacement races during the Covid-disrupted 2020 season.

However, the short timeframe to organize an event and the difficulty of securing hosting fees meant the options were deemed impractical. With the championship already scheduled for 24 rounds, there was also limited incentive to add replacement races at short notice.

The loss of the two Middle Eastern races will also have financial implications. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay among the highest hosting fees on the calendar, and the cancellation is expected to cost Formula 1 and its teams well over 130 million U.S. dollars in lost revenue.

Teams receive a share of the sport's commercial income, meaning the financial impact will be spread across the grid.

With the Bahrain and Saudi races removed, the championship will resume in Miami after the extended break following Japan, with the remainder of the season expected to proceed as scheduled.

/IANS