Formula 1 teams have been told they may need to wait until mid-October before the sport makes a final decision on where the 2026 season will finish.
The final two rounds in Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6) are in doubt due to an ongoing conflict in the region between the United States and Iran.
The UK’s current Foreign Office advice states the situation in the region “remains unpredictable” and that there is “a risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation.”
Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled earlier this year due to the conflict, with Bahrain taking the unusual decision to host its round in Malaysia next week rather than lose its slot on the calendar completely.
Currently, the final two races of the season are still scheduled to go ahead, with F1’s official website advertising tickets for sale at both events.
Sources have told ESPN the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy is on standby to hold a replacement final round if the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi cannot take place.
Holding a single round in Italy would ensure F1 meets its obligations with sponsors and broadcasters to provide a 22-round calendar.
On Thursday it emerged teams were told earlier this week that a final decision could be pushed until midway through next month.
“As we discussed during the F1 Commission last Monday, mid-October is the last call for such a decision,” Audi team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed in Baku.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies added that Imola is on standby, but stressed there were some practical considerations, such as the availability of crews to build the team motorhomes in the paddock, that need to be factored in to the timing of a decision.
“We all know what the situation is,” Mekies said. “I believe that Imola is getting ready in case we have to do it.
“I think the challenges are, for instance, things like European motorhome structure, etcetera. All those people who look after them, they have a winter job, so we need to find alternative people to do that.
“But I’m sure we all, as a family, community, will make sure if we have to do that, that will happen. But hopefully, as a baseline, we can go to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. That would be really good.”
Binotto agreed the main challenge facing a race in Imola was one of logistics and played down concerns over the climate in northern Italy in early December.
“The main challenges are more organisation and logistics,” Binotto said. “I would think, from a technical point, often we may say wintertime, snow tyres, but at the end, as a matter of fact, the average temperature in Imola in that time of the year is hotter than Las Vegas by the time we’ve got the race in Las Vegas. So I don’t think that’s a true concern.
“It’s more from the organisation and the logistics, really. And again, mid-October, hopefully we may do the right decision.”
Leaving the decision as late as mid-October runs the risk of inadvertently crowning this year’s champion by cutting the number or races, and therefore points scoring opportunities, from 23 to 22.
Kimi Antonelli currently leads the title race by 81 points from Mercedes teammate George Russell, meaning the earliest he can possibly clinch the title based on a 23-race calendar is in two weeks’ time in Singapore.
However, if he is not crowned champion in Singapore but has a margin of over 125 points over the driver in second place, the shortening of the calendar by a single race in the mid-October gap between Singapore and Austin would mean he would win the title by default due to the reduction of the remaining points on offer.
