Everybody knew it in late February, even if it took until mid-March to confirm, but Formula 1 will not be racing at Bahrain International Circuit or Jeddah Corniche Circuit this year, due to the ongoing political conflict in the Middle East.
The delay in the decision might well have cost Formula 1 the opportunity to replace one or both events, and now instead of having a third consecutive record-breaking/tying 24-Grand Prix season, the sport is set to see its first 22-race season since the 2023 campaign saw one cancelation due to flooding.
A 22-race season matches the shortest since 2020, when COVID-19-related restrictions resulted in the cancelation of 13 Grands Prix, although Formula 1 still managed to add few extra events to fit 17 races into a stretch of around five months.
Because Formula 1 will not replace the Bahrain Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 12, or the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 19, there is now a scheduled five-week break between the season's third and fourth races.
The Japanese Grand Prix is scheduled to take place at Suzuka Circuit on Sunday, March 29, and the Miami Grand Prix is scheduled to take place at Miami International Autodrome on Sunday, May 3.
That five-week break is even longer than the sport's annual four-week summer break, which is scheduled to take place from Sunday, July 26, after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, until Sunday, August 23, before the Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort.
But these cancelations are perhaps even bigger for Formula 2.
Feature race-wise, the 2025 Formula 2 season ended on Sunday, December 7. The 2026 season began on Sunday, March 8. That's a 13-week gap between races.
Formula 2's next feature race is now not scheduled to take place until Sunday, June 7 at Circuit de Monaco. That's literally another 13-week gap between races.
Formula 2 did not race at Shanghai International Circuit this past weekend like Formula 1 did, and it is not scheduled to run at Suzuka Circuit a week from now either.
With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds called off, and Formula 2 also not scheduled to run in Miami or Canada, there is literally a second full offseason between the season's first and second races.
Hitech Grand Prix Formula 2 driver and Cadillac Formula 1 reserve driver Colton Herta, who spent the past seven seasons competing in IndyCar, even decided to show up to the series' inaugural race weekend on the streets of Arlington, Texas this past weekend.
Well, well, well, look who decided to show up 🤠pic.twitter.com/0iBkZD9vQG
— Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT (@AndrettiIndy) March 14, 2026
Herta remains a serious candidate to drive the fourth Andretti Global in the 110th running of the Indy 500, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 24. Practice is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, May 12.
And why not? After finishing seventh in his Formula 2 feature race debut to start (and finish) a de facto one-race "season", he's got nothing better to do for the next few months.
The 2026 Formula 2 schedule is down to 12 rounds following the two cancelations, with a sprint race and a feature race set to take place on each of the 11 remaining race weekends from early June to early December. Let's hope there are no more cancelations.