At a glance
The 2026 calendar changed in stages. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were originally scheduled for April; on 14 March, Formula 1 and the FIA said neither race would take place that month and that April would have no substitute events. On 26 July, Malaysia was confirmed as host venue for the Bahrain Grand Prix on 2–4 October. Saudi Arabia did not return to the final schedule.
- Original plan24 rounds2026 calendar announced June 2025
- April races removed2Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
- Bahrain-branded event2–4 OctSepang, Malaysia
- Final calendar23 roundsone of two April events restored elsewhere
From an April double-header to an empty gap
The FIA and Formula 1’s 2026 calendar announcement, published 10 June 2025, placed Bahrain on 10–12 April and Saudi Arabia on 17–19 April. That schedule put two Middle East rounds after Japan’s late-March date. The original announced calendar contained 24 Grand Prix weekends.
On 14 March 2026, Formula 1 said the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix would not take place in April. The statement said alternatives had been considered but no substitute races would be held in April. The immediate schedule consequence was a break after Japan, scheduled for 27–29 March, and before Miami, scheduled for 1–3 May. The announcement concerned the April dates; it did not say at that point that either event had been permanently removed from every later calendar.
Bahrain’s event moved to Malaysia
On 26 July, Formula 1 and the FIA announced that Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia would host the Bahrain Grand Prix from 2–4 October. The official name became the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The event was placed between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 26 September and Singapore on 9–11 October. Formula 1 said the arrangement preserved a Bahrain Grand Prix that otherwise would not have happened; it did not add a Saudi Grand Prix replacement.
| Calendar stage | Event plan | Official status |
|---|---|---|
| Original schedule | Bahrain 10–12 April; Saudi Arabia 17–19 April | 24 rounds announced for 2026 |
| 14 March update | Neither race to take place in April; no April substitutes | Gap between Japan and Miami |
| 26 July update | Bahrain Grand Prix hosted at Sepang, 2–4 October | Event returned under Bahrain name in Malaysia |
| Saudi Arabian GP | No replacement date announced in the final schedule checked | Absent from the 23-round calendar |
| Current weekend | Sepang: 2–4 October; Singapore: 9–11 October | Bahrain-branded round is listed before Singapore |
The sequence matters when reading the “23 rounds” figure: it is not simply a two-race cancellation. The original schedule lost both April rounds, then gained a single October slot with Bahrain as the named Grand Prix and Sepang as the announced host circuit.
What the totals do—and do not—mean
The result is a 23-round schedule: two April races were removed, then one Bahrain-branded Grand Prix was placed in October at a different country and circuit. Counting it as “Bahrain in Bahrain” would be inaccurate; the official event name distinguishes the championship title from its host venue. Counting a Saudi replacement would also be wrong: no such event appears on Formula 1’s current 2026 calendar.
The official announcements explain the schedule decisions and state that the later Malaysia agreement preserved the Bahrain event. This article does not infer additional geopolitical or logistical causes beyond the wording of those notices. Calendar counts are a snapshot: further changes would require a new dated update. As of 2 October, the Malaysia-hosted event is scheduled this weekend at Sepang.
Explore the Bahrain circuit topic and Sepang International Circuit page for venue context, or browse the F1 News hub for other dated regulation and calendar changes.
The arithmetic is 24 originally announced rounds minus two April events, then plus one October event: 23 scheduled rounds. The net change is one fewer round, even though the identity and venue of one later event changed. That count describes the published schedule, not the number of races completed by this check date.
Sources and method
Primary schedule sources: FIA and Formula 1’s 10 June 2025 calendar announcement; Formula 1’s 14 March 2026 announcement; and Formula 1/FIA’s 26 July 2026 Malaysia host-venue announcement. The current round count and dates were checked against the official 2026 calendar on 2 October 2026.