RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be cancelled or rescheduled as the Middle East war engulfs the region, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP on Friday.
"The F1 in Saudi and Bahrain won't happen at their scheduled time," the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic.
Formula One will announce soon that the races "have been cancelled or postponed to a later date", the source added.
Bahrain is currently scheduled for April 10-12 and Saudi a week later. However, the Gulf has been battered by two weeks of Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Tiny Bahrain, a short hop over the Gulf sea from Iran, has been targeted with frequent attacks that have hit buildings and a refinery, as well as its large US base.
Saudi Arabia has also weathered scores of strikes, some of them targeting the oil infrastructure that is crucial for the world's biggest exporter of crude.