Among all its allied countries and priority partners, F1 holds a special place for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Since 2004, the archipelago has maintained close ties with the Grand Prix and with McLaren, the champion of the last two Constructors' World Championships, controlled by the emirate's sovereign fund. Even more powerful are the ties of the Saudi monarchy with the World Championship, as they are based on Aramco, the world's largest oil company, which has been a global sponsor of F1 since 2020 in exchange for around 500 million dollars. However, the colossal influence of the Persian Gulf on this sport is now in jeopardy due to the war in Iran. The races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, scheduled for April 12 and 19, now hang by a thread.
Last Saturday, an Iranian attack with missiles and drones caused serious damage to the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. This military building is located in Juffair, a residential area very popular among F1 personnel, who had filled its hotels just a week before for pre-season testing. These days also demonstrate Bahrain's strong influence, as its economic power led it to take over from Barcelona as the venue for winter testing.
The Sakhir circuit has hosted 21 World Championship races, and six of them (2006, 2010, 2021-24) opened the championship. Even during the COVID pandemic, this track, located in the middle of the desert, was able to host two consecutive races at the end of 2020.
Today, with five weeks to go, the warlike climate jeopardizes the holding of the race. Not only because the missiles flying over the Gulf pose an excessive risk to the teams' equipment, transported by sea through the Strait of Hormuz. The stance of the FIA, the governing body of world motorsport, must also be taken into account, as it has already had to cancel several events in the region, such as the start of the World Endurance Championship. "Safety and well-being" will be the factors that will determine whether Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will proceed. This was revealed by Mohammed ben Sulayem, president of the FIA, born in Dubai.
However, there are also reasons to speculate about a change of course by Liberty Media, the company that owns F1. None as significant as the over 200 million dollars that would be lost in case of cancellation. That is the sum paid by Manama and Riyadh as a fee.
Four years ago, the Saudi Arabian GP took place just two days after Houthi missiles exploded near the Jeddah circuit. The pressures from the drivers, who met for hours in the early hours of Saturday, were of no use then because the feudal regime of Mohamed Bin Salman could not show weakness in the face of the rebels. Now, after intercepting several drones and cruise missiles in Riyadh's airspace, the situation seems much more delicate. Just this week, Aramco's largest refinery plant in the coastal town of Ras Tanura was targeted in at least two drone attacks, leading to its closure.
If Sakhir and Jeddah ultimately have to be canceled, the 2026 World Championship will most likely be reduced to 22 races. The circuits of Imola and Portimao were emergency solutions during the pandemic, but currently do not have enough time to organize an event of such magnitude.
Stefano Domenicali, CEO of F1, has not yet provided any explanation about his immediate plans. The strongman of Liberty Media has always been characterized by his pragmatism and good relationship with Arab partners. At this moment, his main task is to ensure the Qatar GP and the Abu Dhabi GP take place, the two races that close the calendar on November 29 and December 6. It is worth noting that the main Emirati oil company is one of the major sponsors of the Mercedes team, and the Qatari sovereign fund holds a minority stake in the Alpine team.