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Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled as the Middle East war engulfs the region, motorsport’s governing body the FIA announced on Saturday.
“It has been confirmed today that, after careful evaluations, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April,” the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement.
“While several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made in April.
“The decision has been taken in full consultation with Formula One Group, local promoters and our member clubs in the region.”
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Bahrain had been scheduled as the fourth Grand Prix this season to take place on April 10-12, with the Saudi race a week later.
The Gulf has been battered by two weeks of Iranian drone and missile attacks after the United States and Israel started their war on Iran.
Tiny Bahrain, a short hop over the Gulf sea from Iran, has been targeted with frequent attacks that have hit buildings and a refinery, as well as its large US military base.
Saudi Arabia has also weathered scores of strikes, some of them targeting the oil infrastructure that is crucial for the world’s biggest exporter of crude.
“The FIA will always place the safety and wellbeing of our community and colleagues first,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
“After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind.
“We continue to hope for calm, safety and a swift return to stability in the region, and my thoughts remain with all those affected by these recent events.
“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.
“My sincere thanks to the promoters, our partners, and our colleagues across the championship for the collaborative and constructive approach that has led to this decision.”
Kimi Antonelli took pole position for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton and was asked by AFP in Shanghai about the possible cancellation of the Middle East races.
“My thoughts, and I think it’s the same for Lewis and George, are with the ones that are suffering from this situation,” said the 19-year-old Mercedes driver.
“Formula One and the FIA, they will handle the situation the best way possible in order to guarantee everyone’s safety.”
The Japanese Grand Prix will take place on March 27-29 with the following Formula One race now slated for the Miami Grand Prix on May 1-3.
Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy rounds will also not take place during their scheduled slots in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Neighbouring Qatar has also been targeted, with the first round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) scheduled for March 26-28 now postponed until October.
Louisiana State University sprinter Ella Onojuvwevwo became the fastest woman in the world indoors this season and set a new African indoor 400 metres record on the opening day of the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Friday, running a time of 50.28 seconds in her preliminary heat to produce one of the most significant single-race performances by a Nigerian athlete in the recent history of collegiate track.
The 20-year-old from Ughelli in Delta State dominated her heat from the moment it began, moving clear of the field within the first 200 metres and crossing the finish line in a performance that simultaneously rewrote three record books.
The time of 50.28 is the fifth-fastest 400 metres ever run indoors in NCAA Division I competition and stands as the current world-leading mark for the indoor season, placing her at the top of the global indoor rankings with Saturday’s final still to run.
It also broke the previous African indoor 400 metres record and stands as a new personal best for Onojuvwevwo, who had entered the championships having run 50.96 seconds to win the Southeastern Conference Indoor title two weeks earlier, itself already a performance that had established her as the division’s leading 400-metre competitor.
Onojuvwevwo’s SEC victory in February had itself been a redemption performance, coming one year after she was disqualified from the 2025 SEC Indoor Championships for a false start, losing what would have been her first individual conference title. Her return to the same event with a dominant winning run had given her the confidence and momentum to arrive in Fayetteville as the division’s most formidable 400-metre contender. Friday’s heat performance extended that momentum well beyond the confines of collegiate competition.
“I push myself every day in practice, hitting every rep,” Onojuvwevwo said after her heat, in a comment consistent with remarks she made following her SEC victory. “This is just one rep and it’s easy, it’s not like the workouts I do every day in practice. This is just one lap and I have to go all out.”
In Nigerian track and field, Onojuvwevwo’s time now stands as the fastest 400 metres run by a Nigerian woman since Falilat Ogunkoya’s 50.04 in Osaka in 2000, a 26-year-old benchmark that had been the defining reference point for female Nigerian 400-metre running across an entire generation.
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Ogunkoya, who won Olympic bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the 400 metres and silver in the 4×400 relay, remains Nigeria’s most decorated female quarter-miler in international competition, and the proximity of Onojuvwevwo’s time to Ogunkoya’s best outdoor mark, achieved in a championship final rather than a heat, gives an indication of the speed trajectory the LSU senior is currently on. Across African indoor athletics more broadly, Onojuvwevwo became the second African woman ever to break the 51-second barrier indoors with her SEC run, and has now extended that historic distinction with the continental record.
The eight finalists who qualified alongside Onojuvwevwo on Friday illustrate the depth of this year’s championship field.
Madison Whyte of the University of Southern California qualified second in 50.68, followed by Sanaria Butler of the University of Arkansas in 50.70 — itself a personal best.
Rachel Joseph of Iowa State ran 51.20, Sydney Sutton of Florida 51.25, Kaylyn Brown of Arkansas 51.29, Shaquena Foote and Dejanea Oakley of Georgia each 51.43.
