Bahrain Retains Its Place on Motorsport's Global Grid
TDT | Manama
The kingdom secures key dates across multiple FIA championships in 2026
Bahrain's role as a key hub in global motorsport has been reaffirmed following confirmation of the 2026 calendars across several top-tier FIA series, including Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula E, and the World Rally-Raid Championship.
The announcement, made at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau and chaired by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, solidifies the kingdom's ongoing commitment to motorsport at the highest level.
F1 and F3 Share the Stage
The Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix will be held from April 10 to 12, 2026, featuring the debut of F1 cars powered by 100% sustainable fuels—a major milestone in the sport's green transition.
Over the same weekend, Bahrain will also host a round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, making it the Middle East's sole representative in the ten-round junior series. This joint showcase of senior and feeder series underlines Bahrain's status as a cradle of racing development.
Full Middle East Slate in Formula Championships
Bahrain is one of four Middle Eastern venues confirmed for the 2026 Formula 1 and Formula 2 calendars, alongside Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. The region will also feature in the Formula E calendar, with Saudi Arabia staging back-to-back races in Jeddah on February 13 and 14, 2026.
The F2 series will run in tandem with F1, placing Bahrain in a pivotal position as both a sporting and logistical anchor for the season's early stages.
Rally-Raid Continues Across the Region
Bahrain may not be a host for the World Rally-Raid Championship, but the wider Gulf remains heavily involved. Saudi Arabia will again open the 2026 W2RC season with the Dakar Rally from January 3 to 17, followed by Morocco in late September and Abu Dhabi in November.
These events bolster the Middle East's footprint in off-road rallying, complementing its high-profile circuit racing presence.
FIA Pushes Ahead with 2027 WRC Vision
In addition to confirming 2026 dates, the FIA has advanced its long-term rally strategy. The WRC27 rulebook, set to define the World Rally Championship's future from 2027 to 2037, has been finalised.
A new bodywork volume framework offers manufacturers broad freedom in design, allowing anything from hatchbacks and saloons to crossovers and custom-built entries—without compromising on performance. The flexibility aims to attract innovation and investment while maintaining regulatory clarity.
A Clear Message from the FIA
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem underlined the importance of this transitional period: '2025 is proving to be an exciting year across all our championships, new agreements across our championships are unlocking fresh potential.'
That potential includes sustainability targets, fresh talent development, and a broadening global reach—goals Bahrain continues to align with through its sustained presence on the calendar.
A Measured but Meaningful Step
Bahrain's confirmed inclusion in the 2026 motorsport calendar—spanning from Formula 1 to F3—reaffirms its status not just as a venue, but as a foundational part of motorsport's evolving ecosystem. As the FIA balances innovation with heritage, Bahrain is proving itself ready for both.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
3 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain U16 Squad Heads to Bosnia for Training Camp
TDT | Manama Bahrain's under-16 national basketball team are headed to Bosnia early Saturday for an overseas training camp. The 10-day camp, which will be held in Sarajevo, runs from 22 to 31 June. The Bahrain Basketball Association said the camp will include a full schedule of daily training sessions, weight and fitness, sharpen team mechanics and give players more confidence in competitive situations. The FIBA U16 Asian Championship is set to take place in Mongolia later this year.
Biz Bahrain
2 days ago
- Biz Bahrain
Formula 1 launches new personalised mobile app and website
Formula 1® has relaunched its mobile app and website to make them easier to navigate and to allow fans to personalise their experience, accessing all the information and content they want more quickly and in a way that suits them. Within the innovative, updated F1 mobile app, fans can now curate their experience by selecting multiple drivers and teams for detailed tracking during sessions, as well as following their overall performance across the season. The redesigned homepage promotes both short-form and long-form video content and introduces new formats such as mobile-first stories and vertical video, which provide a more modern and familiar user experience and integrate best practices from across social platforms and digital entertainment products. Both redesigned platforms will also showcase content from F1 TV for fans who want to watch premium live and on-demand action, as well as key telemetry and data points from the embedded Live Timing subscription service. The ultimate F1 companions, the app and website were tested with the fan-base throughout the development, ensuring their requests were prioritised alongside all of the other enhancements. Accessibility was an important element, with video overlays enabling fans to watch content with or without sound, while the adaptive font-sizes and dark/light modes ensure content is available to the widest possible audience. The app and website changes initially focus on improved content discovery across breaking news, race and technical analysis, location guides, along with the much-loved Fantasy and Predict games, where fans can test their knowledge against each other. Future phases are now planned for the addition of a wider range of exciting content themes, as well as an enhanced F1 Unlocked membership offering. Visit and download the app from the iOS or Android stores.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Bahrain Sweep Indonesia to Top Group A at AVC Nations Cup
TDT | Manama Hosts stay perfect with a clean 3-0 win as both sides advance to the quarter-finals Bahrain Seal First Place in Style Bahrain closed out the group stage of the AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup in comfortable fashion, beating Indonesia in straight sets on Thursday night. The 25-13, 27-25, 25-22 win at Isa Bin Rashid Arena in Manama confirmed their place at the top of Group A with a perfect record. Backed by a home crowd, Bahrain built on their earlier win over Thailand to finish the group stage unbeaten. Indonesia, despite the defeat, also progress as runners-up. Fast Start Sets the Tone Bahrain took early control with strong serving and disciplined net defence, opening a 9-4 lead in the first set. Indonesia struggled to respond, undone by unforced errors and inconsistent blocking. The hosts capitalized, taking the set 25-13 and setting the tone for the rest of the match. Opposite spiker Ali Ebrahim continued his standout tournament, tying for top scorer with 14 points—12 from attack and two from the service line. Outside hitter Mohammed Yaqoob matched that total with 13 kills and a block, while captain Naser Anan and middle blocker Mohammed Abdulla added balance at the net. Indonesia Rally but Fall Short The second set offered more resistance from Indonesia. Led by Boy Arnez and Dio Zulfikri, they fought back from an early deficit to lead 15-14 and eventually reached set point at 25-24. But Bahrain held firm. Tight defence and a composed finish turned the tide, taking the set 27-25. In the third, Bahrain again kept their composure. Though Indonesia stayed within reach, the hosts maintained a slim lead throughout and closed out the match 25-22 to complete a 3-0 sweep. Quarter-Final Bracket Set With the group stage wrapped, Bahrain will face Chinese Taipei in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Indonesia meet Group C winners Pakistan, while the other ties see Korea take on Australia and Vietnam face Qatar. All matches take place at the Isa bin Rashid Hall. Entry remains free throughout the tournament, with growing home support expected as Bahrain continue their campaign on home soil. Match Statistics
