F1 confirms September deadline for Qatar and Abu Dhabi cancellation decision

Stefano Domenicali has outlined F1’s decision-making approach when it comes to the final two races in the Middle East, amidst uncertainty that the calendar could change.

The Middle East has not been able to hold a race so far this year, with the Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia removed from the calendar, although an unusual agreement has been reached to host the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia in October.

Stefano Domenicali confirms Qatar and Abu Dhabi Formula 1 decision timeline

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The unrest in the Middle East began shortly after the pre-season testing sessions at the Bahrain International Circuit, and it quickly became apparent that hosting the double-header of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not be tenable.

To that end, both races were postponed indefinitely. Since then, the Bahrain Grand Prix has been rescheduled to be held at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit on October 4th, returning after nine years off the calendar, with Bahrain providing the majority of the logistical resources and finances to host its round. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has not been rescheduled.

However, the big question facing Formula 1 over the coming weeks is whether or not the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will be held. Both events are sold out, but the unrest in the region means that safety and logistical concerns remain.

But no decisions regarding their hosting will be made until, at the latest, the middle of September, with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirming the situation in a media round-table, including PlanetF1.com, on Wednesday morning.

“That moment will not be before the middle of September. So, for us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed,” he said.

“By the way, they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problems that our world is living.

“But of course, if the situation is not cleared the way that we believe it should be before the middle of September, we will take the decision.

“Before, nothing will happen. After, if the situation does not give us the information that we want to have to progress, then we will make a decision and inform where the European race will be hosted.”

Domenicali also opened up on the contingencies being evaluated for if the situation arises that the Middle Eastern races cannot go ahead, amidst rumours of scenarios such as additional races in Las Vegas. It’s understood venues such as Italy’s Imola and Portugal’s Portimao are the leading contenders for a race, while other venues that have been speculated include Spain’s Jerez and Turkey’s Istanbul – circuits such as Germany’s Nurburgring or Hockenheim are likely to be too cold to host a race at that time of the year.

“In that respect, I just want to confirm to you that, if this 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 said.

“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.”

The suggestion of a double-header in Las Vegas was always unlikely, given the logistical challenges of shutting down large swathes of the city for one weekend, let alone two, but did have the advantage of being the only venue on the calendar that is self-hosted, with FOM itself being the promoter.

With the colder climes of Europe in late November and early December suggesting a race elsewhere might be needed, Domenicali elaborated on why a double-header in Las Vegas isn’t occurring.

“The fascinating side is, if I look at the statistics of the temperature in Europe at that time, it is less cool than Las Vegas’ average temperature when we are racing. So it’s fascinating, but this is numbers,” he said.

“It’s definitely something that no one knows where the temperature will go and what the weather will be like. I think that actually we see in this situation how the pollution of climate change is happening. There’s no certainty about anything.

“Definitely, I can guarantee to you that we will not do any other race in the US.

“The question of whether there was a possibility of two races in Las Vegas, but we don’t want to ruin, let me put this word, a jewel that is growing, by undervaluing what we are doing there, and don’t forget, in that period of the year, we are fighting against the NFL – that is a major sport that is… I don’t want to say detracting, but there are a lot of fans watching that.

“So we need to avoid any kind of situation that will put us in front of something that is still quite big in the U.S.

“Therefore, considering the constraint that we have, the only possibility is to finish in Europe within the same time frame, hoping that there will be no snow, as we can hope in other places.

“But seriously, I think that the weather should allow us to race in Europe even at the beginning of December.”

Of course, finding a resolution for the end of the F1 2026 season is one headache for FOM to overcome, but there is the longer-term picture to consider as well: Bahrain is scheduled to host pre-season testing in 2027, as well as the season-opener.

For now, Domenicali said, the situation is that F1 is taking the default position that the events can go ahead.

“The calendar that will be presented, let’s say, in autumn, will be as per the normal plan,” he said.

“But, of course, in case the situation in the Middle East is not solved, we have options, a different plan.

“But the trigger for that is at the end of the year, so we still have a lot of time, if I may say, to adjust.

“But I think that if the situation in that region is not solved for next year, Formula 1 is a marginal point on which we should be worried marginally because the situation will be very, very, very, very bad.

“But, just to assure you, we have different plans with different options ready in place that will accommodate the fact that we will keep, in any case, the target of 24 Grands Prix for next year.”

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Stefano Domenicali rules out Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia becoming Formula 1 blueprint

With Bahrain upholding its race deal by organising an event in Malaysia, Domenicali thanked all those involved in being able to reach an agreement to make the unusual scenario become a reality.

“We wanted to maximise the number of races that are part of this calendar,” he said.

“We wanted to be in Bahrain, but we always said that we have cutoff dates on which we need to make decisions.

“For the recovery of one of the Grand Prix in Bahrain, we would have respected the deadline of the end of this month. Together, we have found a new way of being in or hosting the Grand Prix in Malaysia. So it’s a sign of cooperation. It’s a sign of thinking wider than what other people believe.

“I need to thank, absolutely, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the crown prince, and the Kingdom of Malaysia for understanding that there was a possibility to bring back also a track that has been part of our championship in the past.

“Therefore, we’re going to do a race on the fourth of October between Baku and Singapore because, as I said, we want to make sure that the championship is with as many events as possible.”

As for whether the Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia could become a blueprint for more events, should the Middle Eastern countries see it as a way to fulfil their race deals without forfeiting hosting fees, Domenicali downplayed the possibility that it could become a more regular occurrence.

“We are creative enough to create stories that are interesting to keep the calendar alive, but I don’t think that this could be a long-term approach because we need to be credible and consistent,” he said.

“But I do believe, and I really hope, that the situation of the world will allow us to go back to a normal situation where we’re all around the place within the right country for which we would like to hold the Grand Prix.

“What we did with Bahrain and Malaysia was fantastic because we really wanted to allow the Bahrain Grand Prix to be part of it.

“But as I said, for me, as a human being, I really hope the situation will allow us to live better and to host the race in the place that we have selected in our challenge.”

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