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Formula 110 July 20262 min readBy F1 News Desk

Bahrain GP Eyes October Return, But It Squeezes F1's Calendar

Stefano Domenicali says F1 is racing to reinstate the cancelled Bahrain GP in early October, calling a return 'an incredibly positive message'. But slotting it between Baku and Singapore would create a punishing triple-header run-in.

Bahrain GP Eyes October Return, But It Squeezes F1's Calendar

Key Takeaways

  • 1.Stefano Domenicali has confirmed the sport is working to slot the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix back into the 2026 calendar, most likely in early October.
  • 2."I think that the gap to do the eventual possibility of doing one of the races that we have not done, we need to do it before the summer break," he said — a deadline that points to the Hungarian Grand Prix on 26 July.
  • 3."If there is something that we can announce also related to the possibility of seeing if there is any space for what has not been done so far, we're going to do it, in the right moment and the right conditions," Domenicali said.

Formula 1 is trying to claw back one of the two races it lost earlier this year, and the clock is ticking. Stefano Domenicali has confirmed the sport is working to slot the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix back into the 2026 calendar, most likely in early October.

The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds were both called off in the wake of conflict in the Middle East. With tensions since easing, F1 now sees a window to reinstate at least one of them — and Bahrain is the race in play.

"If there is something that we can announce also related to the possibility of seeing if there is any space for what has not been done so far, we're going to do it, in the right moment and the right conditions," Domenicali said.

The F1 president was clear that a firm decision cannot wait. "I think that the gap to do the eventual possibility of doing one of the races that we have not done, we need to do it before the summer break," he said — a deadline that points to the Hungarian Grand Prix on 26 July.

Domenicali struck an optimistic note on the odds. "That is really the hope, because if all the conditions are right, we're going to go ahead with our plan. If there is a chance, why not?" He also framed a return as bigger than sport: "It would be an incredibly positive message for sport, and also politically, that we are moving in this direction, because if this is happening, it is something we can say is behind us."

Behind the public comments, the paperwork appears to be moving. GPblog reported that F1 and Formula 2 teams have already been told FOM intends to run Bahrain on 2-4 October, in the slot between Azerbaijan and Singapore, with an official announcement expected before the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. Formula 3 would not travel to Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia will not return — there is simply no room for it.

The catch is what reinstating Bahrain does to an already brutal run-in. Dropping the race between Baku and Singapore creates a triple-header, and it feeds an end-of-season stretch that would cram nine races into 11 weeks across three triple-headers separated by single-week breaks. Even at 23 rounds — one fewer than the calendar originally planned — the closing months would be among the most compressed F1 has attempted.

Domenicali, for his part, insists the core commitment is stability. "Our duty is to make sure we are ready to run our calendar as it is planned," he said.

For teams and their travelling staff, a 23rd race is both a welcome return to normality and another logistical headache in a year that has already thrown plenty their way. The decision, on Domenicali's own timeline, is now only weeks away.

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