Idman.biz
BBC Sport reports that the Formula 1 races scheduled to take place in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April will not take place due to the military conflict in the Middle East.
According to Idman.Biz, an official decision on the cancellation of the races is expected to be made by the end of this weekend. Cargo shipments to the Middle East were scheduled to begin in the coming days, but the ongoing conflict between the US/Israel and Iran would create too great a risk for staff to hold the races.
There will be no replacements for the canceled races - the championship calendar will be reduced to 22 rounds. Formula 1's losses will exceed £100 million (approximately $132 million) as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia pay the highest hosting fees for Grand Prix events.
Portimao (Portugal), Imola (Italy) and Istanbul (Turkey) were considered possible replacement venues, but these ideas were scrapped due to lack of time to organise and no guarantee of receiving an entry fee.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was scheduled for April 12 and the Jeddah round a week later. The cancellation creates a five-week gap in the calendar between the Japanese Grand Prix (March 29) and the Miami Grand Prix (May 3).
