F1 sets summer break deadline to recover Bahrain or Saudi Arabia race

Formula 1 has given itself a summer break deadline to decide whether it can recover one of the two Middle Eastern races cancelled earlier this season, with CEO Stefano Domenicali confirming the series is actively working toward adding Bahrain or Saudi Arabia back to the 2025 calendar.

Both races were called off in March following US and Israeli attacks on Iran, leaving F1 to navigate a prolonged period of regional instability. The subsequent signing of a ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding to resolve the conflict within 60 days has given Domenicali cause for optimism that the season can be completed as originally scheduled — and potentially extended.

“I really hope that we can have all the conditions — safety first, of course, for all our people — that we can go there,” Domenicali said. “If there is something that we can announce related to the possibility if there is any space for what has not been run so far, we’re going to do it. In the right moment and in the right conditions.”

Given the density of F1’s calendar, the only realistic window is a one-week gap between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds in September, which would most likely accommodate the Bahrain Grand Prix. Domenicali stressed that the logistics require a firm call before the August shutdown.

“I think that the gap to do the eventual possibility of recovering one of the races that we have not done, we need to do it before the summer break,” he said.

F1 has also prepared contingency plans should the season-ending Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds come under threat. The Portuguese circuit of Portimao has been identified as a backup venue — a move that would serve as a test run ahead of its official return to the calendar in 2027. A decision on that fallback option must be made by mid-September.

“It is the duty of a good organiser or promoter to make sure there are plans in place,” Domenicali added. “With regard to the end of the year, for us that’s in place and the decision has to be made by the middle of September.”