Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed that the 2026 season will end in Europe if the ongoing conflict prevents the sport from racing in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The crisis in the Middle East has heavily disrupted the motorsport calendar this year.
F1 already cancelled events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia earlier in the season. Meanwhile MotoGP and the World Endurance Championship have also adjusted their schedules.
Despite proximity to Iran, September’s Azerbaijan GP in Baku remains on schedule. However, uncertainty looms over the final two scheduled rounds in Lusail and Yas Marina.
“For us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed,” Domenicali said. “By the way, they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problem that our world is living.
“But of course, if the situation will not be cleared the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September we will take the decision.
“If this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places.”
F1 originally hoped to reschedule the Bahrain GP for early October to form a triple-header with Azerbaijan and Singapore. When those plans failed, officials struck a deal with Malaysia.
The Sepang International Circuit returns to the calendar for the first time since 2017. It will host the ‘Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia’.
This addition guarantees a 21-race calendar for 2026, even if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled.
The plans for the rest of the F1 2026 season
However, F1 management wants to maximise the race count in 2026.
Officials explored alternative venues to prevent the Las Vegas GP on November 21 from serving as the default season finale.
“There was a possibility of having two races in Las Vegas, but we don’t want to ruin, let me put it this way, a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there,” Domenicali explained.
“And of course, we don’t have to forget that in that period of the year, we are fighting in the US against the NFL.
“That is a major sport that is, I don’t want to say detracting, but a lot of fans are watching that. So we need to avoid any kind of situation that would put us in front of something that, of course, is still quite big in the US.”
Looking ahead to 2027, Domenicali acknowledged that regional instability could continue to affect future scheduling.
However, F1 leadership is actively preparing contingency plans to minimise further disruption.
“So far, the calendar that will be presented, let’s say in autumn, will be as a sort of a normal plan,” he said.
“But in case the situation in the Middle East will not be solved, we have options, different plan, and the trigger for that, of course, is at the end of the year.”
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