MOTORSPORT – BAHRAIN’S prominence on the global motorsport stage has been underlined for another year with confirmation of the FIA’s major world championship calendars for 2026.
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will take place from April 10 to 12 next year which will see the next generation of F1 cars running on 100 per cent sustainable fuels. Over the same weekend, Bahrain will represent the Middle East in the ten-round F3 calendar.
This was confirmed at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau which was chaired by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The 2026 FI World Championship again includes three other Middle East rounds -- Saudi Arabia from April 17 to 19, Qatar from Nov 27 to 29 and Abu Dhabi from December 4 to 6.
Saudi again stages back-to-back Jeddah races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar from February 13 to 14, while the Middle East also has four rounds in the 2026 F2 Championship coinciding with the F1 races in Bahrain, Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Once again, the Dakar Rally in Saudi commences next year’s FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from January 3 to 17, with the Rally du Maroc taking place from September 28 to October 3 and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from November 22 to 27.
FIA President Ben Sulayem told World Motor Sport Council members: “2025 is proving to be an exciting year across all our championships with technological milestones being reached, new talent emerging, and battles being fought on the track and across stages each week.”
“This year is a powerful opportunity for us to innovate and grow. New agreements across our championships are unlocking fresh potential, we are enhancing the level of competition and expanding our global reach. Each race across our championships shows the passion and dedication of our community.”
The World Council approved one of the final pieces of the compelling puzzle that is coming together to mark the start of a brand-new era for the FIA World Rally Championship from 2027.
The WRC27 ruleset has been undergoing its final refinements and updates over the past six months, and confirmation in Macau of the reference volumes for bodywork cements the commitment set out by the FIA to put flexibility at the core of these regulations.
To achieve this, the rules define a zone in which all of the bodywork panels must be located, but within this volume, manufacturers and constructors have the freedom to scale and integrate almost any design.
This means that, without effecting performance, cars ranging from saloons to hatchbacks, cross-overs and completely bespoke designs could be entered over the ten-year regulation cycle through to 2037.
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