F1 confirms season finale contingency plan as Middle East deadline revealed

F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali has confirmed that the 2026 season will end in Europe if the ongoing war in Iran prevents the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix from being held. 

Hostilities broke out between Iran and forces from the United States and Israel in February, and have continued since, forcing the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs to be postponed from their planned April slots, temporarily reducing the calendar to 22 grands prix. 

F1 announced last weekend that the Bahrain race is to be held in 2026, but in Malaysia on the weekend of October 2th-4th, forming a triple-header with Azerbaijan and Singapore, with the event retaining the formal 'Bahrain Grand Prix' title. 

This brings the calendar to a scheduled 23 races, including Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which are planned for November 29th and December 6th, forming a triple-header with Las Vegas on November 21st.

However, given the uncertainty of whether the two Middle East races can take place, with US CENTCOM revealing on Tuesday (July 28th) that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched a missile attack on US forces to end a recent lull in hostilities and the instability of the peace process, it remains unclear whether F1 will race at all in the Middle East in 2026.

Addressing the situation, Domenicali has confirmed that F1 is working towards a deadline of the middle of September to decide whether the two races can take place as planned - or if contingency plans are required.

It has been rumoured that both Portimao and Imola are in the running to join the calendar to host a grand prix if need be, and whilst Domenicali would not be drawn on whether Imola would be selected, he confirmed that the stand-in race, if required, would be held in Europe. 

"The way that we are structured is that we will take the maximum time for us to see how the situation will develop, and we will take the decision at the right time," Domenicali told select media, including RacingNews365. 

"That moment will not be before the middle of September, so, for us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed, and they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problems that our world is living. 

"But of course, if the situation is not clear the way that we believe it should be before the middle of September, we will take the decision, that if it not be possible [to race in the Middle East], that the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go to other places, so the end eventually would be in Europe.

"I know there are some possibilities on the table, but I don't think it's right to make some promises or anticipate certain things, but that's the situation of today. So, even if I really hope that it will not be the case, if the situation does not allow us to be [in Qatar and Abu Dhabi], we're going to finish the championship in Europe.

"The deadline for the decision on any change to the calendar is the middle of September, so before that, nothing will happen, and after that, if the situation does not give us the information we want to progress [with Qatar and Abu Dhabi], we will make a decision and inform where the European race will be hosted.

"Imola is in the basket, but it is not defined as Imola; it is an option."

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"Credible and consistent"

Owing to Bahrain's inability to host in 2026, its race is to be held in Malaysia, whilst retaining the 'Bahrain Grand Prix' moniker.

It is not unheard of for a grand prix to be held in a different country from the formal title, with the most famous example being the San Marino Grand Prix, which was held between 1981 and 2006 at the Italian Imola circuit. 

Other examples include the Swiss GP at Dijon in France and the Luxembourg GP held in 1997 and 1998 at the Nurburgring in Germany. 

Questioned about whether, if the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races were cancelled, they could be held at Imola or Portimao whilst retaining their official titles, akin to the Bahrain-Malaysia arrangement, Domenicali ruled out the practice, citing the need to be "credible and consistent."

"You have seen that we are creative enough to keep the calendar alive, but I don't think this could be a long-term approach because we need to be credible and consistent," he said.

"But I do believe and really hope that the situation of the world will allow us to go back to a normal situation with being in the right country in which we would like to host the grand prix. 

"What we did with Bahrain and Malaysia was fantastic, because we really wanted to allow the Bahrain Grand Prix to be part [of the calendar], but for me, as a human being, I really hope that the situation will allow us to host the race in the place we have selected for our championship."