Formula 1’s 2026 season will end in the Middle East after all. The Qatar Grand Prix (29 November) and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (6 December) are confirmed as the final two rounds, and the standby plan to finish at Imola has been dropped.
The decision was confirmed on Tuesday 10 November. Local organisers at Imola were told the same day that they would not be needed, and F1 said all 11 teams supported the call. The 2026 calendar will run to 23 rounds.
Months of uncertainty
Both races had been in doubt for most of the year. The regional war that broke out in late February forced the Bahrain Grand Prix to move to Sepang in Malaysia and cost the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix its place on the calendar. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali first pointed to a decision in mid-September, then mid-October, before the paddock was simply told to plan for Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Imola had been prepared as a fallback for 6 December. Racing in northern Italy that late in the year would have meant cold, possibly wet or even snowy conditions, at a circuit that is home turf for Ferrari and for new world champion Kimi Antonelli.
“The countdown is on”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, himself from the UAE, marked the decision on Instagram. “We are ready for Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” he wrote. “We are fully prepared and committed to delivering two outstanding grand prix weekends.”
Not everyone in the paddock had been as certain. Before the United States Grand Prix, Williams driver Carlos Sainz, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said he personally was not comfortable yet, adding that “we need to stay diligent, and reactive to whatever happens.” Williams later issued a statement quoting him as saying he knows “the FIA and Formula 1 will put safety first.”
F1 had watched MotoGP closely: Liberty Media’s two-wheel series raced at Lusail the weekend before the decision.
What is left to race for
With Antonelli already crowned the youngest champion in F1 history in Mexico, and Mercedes sealing the constructors’ title in Brazil, the big prizes are settled. The real fight is in Formula 2, which will now be decided on track in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Brazil’s Rafael Camara leads Bulgaria’s Nikola Tsolov by seven points, with Ireland’s Alex Dunne third.
The run-in:
- Las Vegas Grand Prix: 22 November
- Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail: 29 November
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina: 6 December
Sources: The Irish Times, AP via NBC, PlanetF1.