33 days without racing: what the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP cancellations mean for F1. F1 faces long April break after Middle East GP cancellations.

F1 | Bahrain and Jeddah canceled: what will happen in April now?

The Middle East conflict impacts the F1 calendar
The ongoing war in the Middle East has brought an unfortunate turn even for Formula 1: the Bahrain GP at Sakhir and the Saudi Arabian GP in Jeddah, both originally scheduled for April, have been officially canceled.

Initially, fans had hoped for a possible replacement on the calendar with Imola or Portimao, but these rumors were quickly dismissed. The big question now: what will happen during this gap month in the F1 calendar?

A month-long pause: more serious than it seems
With Bahrain and Jeddah canceled, there will be no F1 races in April. This creates a significant 33-day break between the Japanese GP and the Miami GP.

Unlike the COVID-19 pandemic period, Formula 1 does not “need” to replace these races. With 22 confirmed events, contractual TV obligations are still met, and adding European rounds would provide limited economic benefits while complicating logistics.

However, there will still be a notable economic impact. Estimates suggest a loss of around $100 million in commission, which means that overall, all teams will receive a smaller end-of-season prize fund. On the positive side, teams will save on transport and damage costs during this downtime.

The Miami GP, now scheduled for May 3, becomes an important update window for all teams, who can focus solely on research and development during the break.

That said, during this period teams will not be able to use ADUO, the additional engine development opportunity reserved for teams that are behind. This is calculated based on the number of Grands Prix completed, specifically after races 6, 12, 18, and 24.

With two fewer races, the sixth race is no longer Miami but Monaco, further delaying development. The FIA, however, is working to allow an update window in May regardless.