Qatar GP issues update amid F1 2026 calendar uncertainty

September has begun, which in turn starts the month in which Formula One Management [FOM] is due to make a decision over how the F1 2026 calendar will end.

While the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are slated to be the final two rounds of the campaign, a contingency plan of a final round in Europe, likely at Imola or Portimao, has been understood to be in the works instead.

Qatar GP organisers issue ‘so far, everything is good’ update

One side-effect of conflict beginning in the Middle East was the curtailing of the start of the Formula 1 season, with both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix having been cancelled as a result.

While Bahrain is set to reappear on the calendar, with organisers largely funding a round in Malaysia under the Bahrain Grand Prix name, questions have remained about how the 2026 campaign will end.

For Qatar Grand Prix officials, though, a new update has been issued reaffirming the circuit’s stance remains the same as it has from the start of the season, that organisers in Lusail are ready to host Formula 1 later in the year, should the sport decide to continue the calendar as planned.

“The plan is to have the race,” said Lusail International Circuit president, Abdul Rahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai.

“We are up and running and preparing for MotoGP and it’s the same with our discussions with Formula 1.

“Of course, there are things that we cannot predict. It’s difficult. We don’t know what’s going to happen. The situation has been fluid, even though it’s been really quiet so far. It depends on what happens in the next couple of months or so.

“For us, we cannot stop the plans. We have to be ready. We are taking it one step at a time to see the situation and assess. But so far, everything is good. Everything is a go-ahead.”

FOM chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, said before the summer break that both races remain on at this stage, but a decision would take place by the middle of September.

“If [the planned ending] is not possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go to other places. So the end will eventually be in Europe,” he stated.

“There are some possibilities on the table, but I don’t think it’s right to make any promises; that’s the situation today.

“If, and I really hope that it will not be the case, the situation will not allow us to be there, we’re going to finish the championship in Europe. Imola is in the basket, but it is not defined as Imola. It is in the options.”

Opinion: Lingering F1 2026 calendar deadline asks wrong questions

While every event organiser will of course want to keep the possibility open of hosting its race, the overriding questions here are: why the uncertainty now, and why the mixed messaging?

More on the F1 calendar from PlanetF1.com

Stefano Domenicali confirms German Grand Prix ‘definitely’ returning

Madring cable theft triggers police investigation ahead of F1 debut – report

Despite the affirmation of wanting to hold up its end of the bargain in Qatar, conversations about moving the season finale to Europe are understood to have taken place throughout the paddock for some time now.

With FOM at the centre of navigating this, to have any uncertainty when teams will have likely planned out their freight activity for most of the remainder of the season by now creates an unwanted waiting game.

Beyond the clear issue of the safety of holding two races where war is not only close by but in some places active, the logistics of navigating sea freight through the vital shipping avenue of the Strait of Hormuz – behind which both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates sit – seems logically implausible as it stands.

If difficult decisions have yet to be made, they ideally need to have been communicated sooner than this, as teams, drivers and, crucially, fans still do not yet know the full extent of the 2026 calendar.

If the calendar is on as planned, fans should have known by now. Likewise, if not, that should also have been made clear by now. Anyone to have bought tickets to potentially travel for either of those two races continues to wait for their answers, with deposits and bookings all sitting idle while plans are firmed up.

With conflict having, unfortunately, shown no signs of halting, to still be waiting for confirmation so far into the season feels foolhardy at best, cynical at worst – given both Qatar and Abu Dhabi are believed to be among the highest hosting fee payers of the year.

There is a bottom line for everyone involved, of course, but as FOM has said itself, safety needs to remain paramount.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Ferrari reveals special Michael Schumacher Italian GP livery