Formula 1's visit to Bahrain in 2026, initially planned in April, was cancelled due to the fallout of the American-Iranian war that wreaked havoc in the Middle East region.
That was not the only race cancelled due to the war in 2026, with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which should've run back-to-back with Bahrain based on the initial Formula 1 race calendar of 2026.
It's still not clear how the situation with the war will pan out in the Middle East with the hostilities resuming in the past couple of weeks after a brief period of calmness.
However, there have been talks that Bahrain could find its way back to the Formula 1 calendar in 2026 with a possible slot available over the weekend of October 3-4 between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix.
Speaking to Reuters about the economic situation in Bahrain in the aftermath of the US/Iranian war, the country's Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, touched on the topic of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
She said: "There is the talks about maybe plugging in some of the races that were cancelled back into the calendar.
"No confirmation still on that, (but) potentially," Alkhulaif added.
Bahrain is looking to regain its position on the Formula 1 calendar in 2027, hosting the preseason tests as has been the case in the past few years while also hosting the opening race the of the upcoming season, but all will be based on the situation of the war.
It is worth noting that there is more uncertainty regarding the Qatar Grand Prix (November 27-29) and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (December 4-6), as there were reports that there were plans to cancel them before the US and Iran signed their ceasefire deal in June.
The deal meant the races are not cancelled yet, but with the recent escalation, the chances that Formula 1 races in Yas Marina and Lusail are not looking good.
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