F1 set for return to track after six years as Bahrain and Saudi races are cancelled

April 9, 2026 Oliver Obel

Formula One will use an unexpected gap in its 2026 calendar to carry out testing at Germany’s Nürburgring, marking a return to the circuit after several years away.

The two-day test, scheduled for April 14–15, comes after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, leaving the series without a race in April for the first time since 2020.

The disruption has already affected pre-planned running. A Pirelli wet-weather tyre test in Bahrain was scrapped after BBC footage showed a missile striking the National Communication Centre roughly 15 miles from the circuit. The incident raised safety concerns and forced teams to adjust their testing programs.

Pirelli has since resumed wet running in Suzuka, while Ferrari is continuing additional tyre work at its Fiorano test track this week.

With the calendar temporarily cleared, Formula One has turned to the Nürburgring to make up for lost track time. Mercedes and McLaren are expected to take part in the test, although neither team has confirmed its driver line-ups. Both are likely to split running across their drivers over the two days.

The session will take place on the Nürburgring’s modern Grand Prix circuit rather than the historic Nordschleife. The older layout, which stretches more than 22 km and features over 150 corners, was dropped from Formula One after Niki Lauda’s near-fatal crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix highlighted major safety concerns.

The current configuration, by contrast, includes extensive run-off areas and updated monitoring systems, making it more suitable for controlled testing conditions and data collection.

Despite the shift away from the Nordschleife, the venue still holds strong appeal for drivers. “Any kind of lap that you drive around there, in any kind of car, is always fun,” Max Verstappen said last year.

Formula One is scheduled to resume racing at the Miami Grand Prix on May 1–3, where the early-season competitive picture is expected to continue taking shape. Mercedes have set the pace so far, with Ferrari and McLaren among the teams looking to close the gap.

Sources: BBC, Formula One, team and tyre supplier reports