Adelaide suggested as surprising F1 replacement.

      The premier of South Australia has disclosed that he made an ambitious proposal to Formula 1 to reinstate a race on the streets of Adelaide following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix. Peter Malinauskas, who recently secured an agreement with MotoGP, owned by Liberty Media, to bring international racing back to the capital, stated that he reached out to F1's CEO immediately after the rising conflict in the Middle East led to the cancellation of the April events. "I reached out to Stefano Domenicali," he mentioned during an interview with Triple M. "I've been working on this for a while, and when the events were canceled due to the Iran war, I contacted them right away. As soon as it became clear they wouldn’t be racing in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, I thought, 'This is an opportunity.'" Malinauskas emphasized that South Australia was prepared to act swiftly despite significant logistical challenges. "I said, 'Listen, I have the team; they’ve calculated the numbers. We can set up the track within these timelines,'" he detailed. Ultimately, Formula 1 rejected the proposal, choosing not to hold replacement races for April due to the short notice and the difficulties involved in transporting teams and equipment back to Australia from Asia. "It was a close call," noted prominent broadcaster Eddie McGuire, who was with Domenicali when the call was made. "He did everything right. In the end, Formula 1 just said no." Moreover, the Adelaide street circuit currently lacks FIA approval for a contemporary F1 race, making a last-minute return even more challenging. "You've got to be in it to win it," said Malinauskas. "I wasn't announcing it publicly—I contacted them directly." Formula 1 has since declared that there will be no additional races to substitute for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, leaving support series, including Formula 2 and F1 Academy, without replacement events as well. Nevertheless, the possibility remains open for rescheduling the canceled races later in the year, as reported by Sport Bild, with one potential option being a packed schedule between the Azerbaijani and Singapore grands prix in late September and early October. However, this scenario would present significant logistical difficulties, possibly necessitating condensed race weekends or midweek events.