Method 1 boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed that the 2026 season will finish in Europe ought to end-of-season rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi be cancelled owing to the continuing battle within the Center East.
Domenicali added that the game has a tough deadline of the “center of September” earlier than they’ll have a look at various preparations to their typical remaining two rounds in Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December).
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F1 has already been pressured to cancel rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April as a result of ongoing US-Iran struggle, which began in February and continues after unsuccessful long-term ceasefire talks.
Abu Dhabi has hosted the season finale for over a decade (Getty)
Nevertheless, the game has added a race in Malaysia in October – which will probably be generally known as the Bahrain Grand Prix because of funding and contractual causes – and has plans in place to keep away from the variety of races dropping beneath the present variety of 23.
“We are going to take the utmost time to see how the state of affairs develops; we cannot resolve earlier than the center of September,” Domenicali stated on a convention name on Wednesday. The Italian government additionally insisted that Las Vegas won’t host two races, as has been speculated.
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“Immediately, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed and are already offered out. If the state of affairs will not be clear earlier than the center of September, we’ll take the choice. If the races will not be attainable, the top of the season will probably be in Europe as a result of we won’t go to different locations.”
The Unbiased understands that Imola, close to Bologna within the Emilia-Romagna area of Italy, is the probably venue to host an end-of-season race. Turkey and Portugal, two nations re-joining the calendar in 2027, are different options, whereas discussions have taken place with Hockenheim in Germany too.
“There are some potentialities on the desk, however it’s not proper to make some guarantees; that is the state of affairs of in the present day,” Domenicali added. “I hope it won’t be the case – however whether it is, we’ll end the championship in Europe.
“We would wish to have a look at the Brexit-related documentation within the UK after which go to a different place. The one risk to complete in Europe in that timeframe.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has confirmed a alternative race in Malaysia (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)
“We hope there is no snow! The climate ought to enable us to race in Europe even to start with of December.”
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F1 introduced on Sunday that the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, which final hosted a race in 2017, will return for a one-off race on 4 October, sandwiched in between rounds in Azerbaijan and Singapore. Domenicali praised the varied F1 stakeholders for his or her willingness so as to add one other spherical to the calendar.
“We’re inventive sufficient to maintain the calendar alive,” he stated. “This isn’t a long-term strategy; we have to be credible and constant.
“I actually hope the struggle [in the Middle East] will enable us to return to a traditional state of affairs. What we did with Bahrain and Malaysia is unbelievable.
F1 will race in Malaysia for the primary time in 9 years (Getty)
“However for me as a human being, I hope the state of affairs will enable us to host races within the locations we’ve got chosen in our championship.”
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Bahrain is provisionally slated to host the 2027 season-opener subsequent March, however Domenicali famous that the game has loads of time earlier than various preparations have to be made for subsequent 12 months.
He added that negotiations for a long-awaited race in Africa – with South Africa, Rwanda and Morocco all choices on the desk – are “progressing effectively”, with Argentina, Thailand and South Korea different events.
The following race of the 2026 season is the ultimate iteration of the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort on 23 August.
