Formula 1 Has Backup Plan If Middle East Races Are Cancelled

Thursday, July 30, 2026, 7:16 am

Thursday, July 30, 2026, 8:08 am

If the Middle East conflict continues, the last Formula 1 race of the season might be held in Europe instead of Abu Dhabi.

In short:

Formula 1 leaders have until mid-September to decide if they need to move the last two races from Qatar and Abu Dhabi to Europe.

Earlier this year, races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were cancelled due to the war with Iran, and the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to Malaysia.

What's next?

The Qatar Grand Prix is set for November 30, and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is set for December 6.

If the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi cannot happen, Formula 1 will end the season in Europe, with a decision to be made by mid-September.

Races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were cancelled in April because of the war in Iran, and Malaysia will now host the Bahrain Grand Prix on October 4.

The World Endurance Championship has already moved its last two races from Qatar and Bahrain to Spain and Italy.

We will wait as long as we can to see how things develop and make a decision at the right time, said Formula 1's chief executive, Stefano Domenicali.

The deadline to decide on any changes to the schedule is mid-September.

For now, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed and have already sold out.

If these races cannot happen, the season will end in Europe because we cannot go to other places.

Qatar will host a Formula 1 race on November 29, and Abu Dhabi will host one on December 6.

Imola is a possible replacement

The Imola circuit in Italy is a possible replacement if the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled.

Imola is a strong candidate despite the weather at that time of year.

The temperatures in Las Vegas were colder than in Europe during the Saturday night race in November.

Having two races in Las Vegas to end the season is possible, but we do not want to ruin a growing event.

The 2027 calendar has not been published yet, but Bahrain was expected to host the first race of the season before the conflict started.

The schedule for next year will be published later this year.

ABC Sport Daily discusses the biggest sports stories.

We have different plans in case the situation in the Middle East does not improve.

We will still have 24 Grand Prix races next year.

Portugal and Turkey will return to the calendar next year, and there are talks with possible hosts in Africa and interest from Asia and South America.

We have requests to host more races in China, but we want to focus on one race there for now.

Reuters

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