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12 hours ago
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Formula One has cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix because of the war in the Middle East.
The races were due to take place on 12 April in Bahrain and 19 April in Saudi Arabia but the sport was approaching the point at which a decision on cancellation needed to be made to prevent more freight being sent to Bahrain.
In a statement the sport’s governing body, the FIA, and F1 conceded they had been left with no choice but to cancel the races for the safety of everyone involved.
The FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “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.”
Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit is only 20 miles (32km) from a US base that has already been the target of Iranian attacks. Some team freight is also already stuck in Bahrain, having been unable to move since pre-season testing, and understandably there is no appetite for having more equipment dispatched only to become unretrievable.
With both races cancelled, they are unlikely to be replaced given the difficulties in finding and then logistically supplying short-notice venues.
Ben Sulayem said: “Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow.” But the season is likely to run to 22 meetings, with a gap of five weeks between the third round in Japan on 29 March and what would then be the fourth round in Miami on 3 May, during which teams would seek to make further car improvements as they adapt to the sport’s new regulations.
