Formula 1 has confirmed that end-of-season races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will go ahead as scheduled.
The final two rounds of the 2026 season in Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December) had been shrouded in uncertainty due to the conflict in the Middle East. Races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia earlier this season were cancelled, though Bahrain did fulfil its event with a one-off race in Malaysia in October.
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F1 did have the historic Imola circuit as a back-up contingency plan for 6 December, with preliminary grandstand work underway in and around the track site in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.
However, given logistical and freight plans, The Independent understands that F1 has now told Imola to stand down. Qatar and Abu Dhabi will conclude the campaign as planned as part of one final triple-header, starting in Las Vegas on 21 November.
An F1 spokesperson added: “We are very grateful for the support and collaboration with the promoter and government in Imola and the region. If the situation develops negatively in the coming weeks before the events in the Middle East we will not hesitate to do the right thing and the safety of everyone will always be the priority.”
F1 added that all 11 teams are supportive of concluding the season as planned.
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The final round of the MotoGP season took place in Qatar – at the same circuit in Lusail, just outside Doha – over the weekend without a hitch, though Yamaha did withdraw from the event pre-race. Nineteen riders also penned a letter expressing their wish not to race in Qatar, but both races were held as planned.
Previous UK travel guidance during the height of the US/Israel-Iran conflict this year advised against “all but essential” travel to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. However, that has since been lifted, with tension in the region cooling in recent weeks.
That being said, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does state that the “broader security context” in the Middle East “carries a risk of sudden escalation, potential flight cancellations and airspace disruptions.”
Both F1 chief Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem have insisted in recent weeks that the Middle Eastern races will take place as planned, barring any sudden re-escalation of hostilities in the region.
Moto GP finished their season in Qatar on Sunday (Reuters)
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team clinched the constructors’ championship in Brazil last weekend, a week after Kimi Antonelli won the drivers’ title, has backed the sport to make the right call.
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“Stefano and Mohamme have been pretty clear about the situation that Formula 1 follows what the international guidelines are, whether there are travel restrictions, airlines not flying, any warnings in the region, the kind of feedback that local governments are making,” Wolff said.
“So not only the promoters, but what the local governments are making. And this is what you need to rely on, in my opinion, and I’m fully with that.
“I think that if [MotoGP] riders stand up, who know nothing geopolitically about what’s going on, but have an audience that listens, I think that is something that creates media value. But I would have done the same as MotoGP management has done. You want to ride or drive, go. If you don’t want to, don’t go. It’s as simple as that, and everybody can take their personal decisions on that, and I respect that.
“Of course, you’ve got to be wary of what’s happening in the next few days, few weeks, and Stefano has his finger on the pulse to monitor that. If things were to get more dangerous and we would get that feedback, then he’s going to be the first one, together with Mohammed, to protect the people that were meant to travel. So that’s why I’m following their guidance.”
F1 has raced at Abu Dhabi, which has held the season finale for over a decade, since 2009 and Qatar since 2021.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
