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Formula 1 is rapidly approaching a major scheduling problem. Both races set for April— the grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, are in states along the Persian Gulf. That places the events perilously close to the ongoing conflict in Iran that kicked off last month. According to numerous reports, the series is now preparing to cancel those events, and is expected to announce that decision within days.
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The news has been reported by multiple outlets, including the BBC and long-time British broadcasting partner Sky Sports F1. While both reports suggest that a final decision has not yet been made, indications are that the races at Bahrain and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit are expected to be officially called off by the end of this weekend.
These cancellations have felt like an inevitability since both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were hit in retaliatory strikes from Iran. Another race in the region, the World Endurance Championship’s season-opener in Qatar, was called off last week and re-scheduled today for a new date in October. With so little space for re-scheduling in an overstuffed F1 calendar originally intended to host 24 races, the two GPs are instead reportedly set to be canceled.
Both reports also indicate that plans to schedule replacement GPs in Portugal, Turkey, or Italy on short notice are unlikely to lead to races in April. That would mean a drop from 24 races to 22, a major reduction in the length of what was scheduled to match recent records for the most events in an F1 season. The cancellations would mean that Formula 2 and Formula 3 are also facing major gaps in their calendar, potentially leaving three full months between season openers in Australia and eventual scheduled rounds in Monaco.
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