Formula 1 has officially confirmed that the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will not take place in April as originally planned.

The decision was announced on Saturday following what the championship described as “careful evaluations” of the ongoing situation in the Middle East region. After discussions with the FIA and the race promoters, Formula 1 concluded that staging the events in April would not be possible.

Several alternatives were considered, including potential replacement races, but Formula 1 ultimately decided not to add substitute events to the calendar for that period.

The cancellation also affects the support series, with the scheduled rounds of Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy also removed from the April schedule.

Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali acknowledged that the decision had not been easy but said the current circumstances made it unavoidable.

“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,” Domenicali said.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the FIA as well as our incredible promoters for their support and total understanding as they were looking forward to hosting us with their usual energy and passion.”

Domenicali also expressed hope that the championship will return to both venues once conditions improve.

“We cannot wait to be back with them as soon as the circumstances allow us to do so.”

Formula 1 has not yet confirmed whether the cancelled races could be rescheduled later in the season, but for now the championship calendar will continue without the two Middle Eastern rounds in April.