Formula 1 still intends to finish the season with two races in the Middle East, sources have told ESPN, although no announcement to say as much appears to be forthcoming.
F1’s current calendar finishes with a triple header of Las Vegas (Nov. 22), Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6).
Due to ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which saw April’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix cancelled and the Bahrain Grand Prix relocated to Malaysia, the status of the final two races has been uncertain.
Last month, F1 told its 11 teams an official call either way would be made by the middle of October.
“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 during a Baku press conference on Sept. 24.
Sources have told ESPN that, as of Oct. 15, the sport plans to continue with the Qatar-Abu Dhabi leg as normal, having been in regular contact with relevant authorities in either country.
Imola has been constructing grandstands in preparation for a stand-in appearance but logistically teams are still not sure how the end of the season looks. F1 sources have said the championship could deviate from the Middle East to the Italian venue as late as mid-November.
However, the sport has pushed back on the idea that it will officially confirm where the season will finish, contrary to previous quotes and reports. The official line has been that the calendar will finish as scheduled unless stated otherwise.
Speaking during the re-arranged Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Stefano Domenicali said: “Yes, as we’ve already said, the calendar is confirmed: the last two Grands Prix will be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. This is the direction we’ve taken based on the information and reassurances we have -- and which we absolutely must have, of course. It’s the strategy we’ll apply until the end of the year.”
F1 later clarified Domenicali’s use of the word “confirmed” and insisted the situation was still fluid and that the final two races were not, in fact, set in stone.
Well-placed sources from multiple teams have told ESPN the whole situation has created a confusing dynamic behind the scenes as they look to make logistical plans.
F1 cancelled April races scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the midst of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. Although hostilities have cooled since, there are still tensions in the region.
A cancellation could create a farcical situation if it came at the wrong time.
Should F1 need to cancel the final two races and turn it into the singular finale before Kimi Antonelli has wrapped up the championship, it could lead to a situation where he is confirmed champion via press release, as there would be 25 fewer points available for anyone to catch him.
The Imola race would be enough to satisfy F1’s commercial agreement with the teams and its global broadcast partners that a season cannot drop below 22 races.
Before cancellations at the start of the year, the calendar sat at 24 races.
It’s why it was so important that Bahrain re-arranged its own races as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as that ensured only one of the final two would need to be replaced should F1 need to make that call.