F1 sets Qatar-Abu Dhabi finale decision deadline

Formula 1 will keep Qatar and Abu Dhabi on the 2026 calendar for now, but CEO Stefano Domenicali says a decision will be taken after mid-September if security conditions force the planned Middle East finale to move to Europe.

Qatar is scheduled to host the penultimate round on November 29, with Abu Dhabi due to stage the finale one week later. The regional conflict has already reshaped this year's calendar: the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, scheduled for April 19, was cancelled and the Bahrain Grand Prix was moved to Sepang in Malaysia for September 4.

Speaking on a mid-season media call attended by PlanetF1.com, Domenicali said: “That moment will not be before the middle of September. So, for us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed.” He added that if the situation has not improved sufficiently by then, F1 will make its decision and announce “where the European race will be hosted.”

Domenicali maintained that position after the Dutch Grand Prix, telling the F1 website that “the calendar is confirmed” and that the remaining Abu Dhabi ticket sales showed F1 was still focused on delivering the schedule promised at the start of the season. Saif Rashid Al-Noiaimi, CEO of Abu Dhabi race organiser Ethara, said the company was “fully focused on delivering another exceptional season finale in December.”

Formula 1 has already ruled out one potential alternative. A proposed Las Vegas double-header for November 19-21 would have required a short-notice change to the race-weekend format, needing a Formula 1 Commission supermajority that reportedly did not have sufficient team support. Domenicali met teams during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend to end the possibility before it advanced further.

If the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds cannot go ahead, the contingency is now understood to centre on Imola hosting a single European finale on November 27-29, the weekend currently assigned to Qatar. Portimão and Istanbul have also been cited as standby options, but an Imola finale would allow F1 to conclude the campaign in Europe rather than extend it into December.