CAIRO, March 15. /TASS/. After careful evaluations, due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East region, the Formula 1 management decided that Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April, the FIA Formula 1 Championship press service said.
The statement says that while several alternatives were considered, it was ultimately decided that no substitutions will be made.
"While this was a difficult decision to take, it is unfortunately the right one at this stage considering the current situation in the Middle East," President and CEO of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali said.
In turn, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are incredibly important to the ecosystem of our racing season, and I look forward to returning to both as soon as circumstances allow. My sincere thanks to the promoters, our partners, and our colleagues across the championship for the collaborative and constructive approach that has led to this decision."
The Bahrain Grand Prix was scheduled for April 10-12, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - for April 17-19. Therefore, there will be a four-week pause in the championship between the Japan Grand Prix (March 27-29) and Miami Grand Prix (May 1-3).
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.