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.