🇧🇭 Bahrain is now highly unlikely to return to the Formula 1 calendar this autumn.

Pirelli Motorsport chief Dario Marrafuschi has effectively ruled out the possibility, explaining that the company needs around 15 weeks to plan and transport the tyres required for a Grand Prix — more time than remains before the proposed race date.

🏎 The renewed instability in the Middle East has made the situation even more complicated. Standard freight routes are either unavailable or considered too risky, while alternatives through the Suez Canal, Saudi Arabia or around Africa cannot be reliably planned.

“Uncertainty is the dominant factor at the moment,” Marrafuschi admitted, adding that Pirelli cannot currently estimate how long it would take to deliver the necessary equipment to a potential Middle Eastern race.

@charlesleclerc