– Is Formula 1 racing in Qatar and Abu Dhabi this year or not? Both World Championship races are still on the calendar and are supposed to take place, but due to the situation in the Middle East, it is also not excluded that the two planned final races of the 2026 season may still be canceled.
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If it actually comes to that, an alternative season finale in Imola is currently being considered. This presents some challenges for the Formula 1 teams in their planning. “You don’t know if you still have ten or twelve races ahead of you,” explains Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur.
In fact, there are currently several scenarios. If the two races were canceled without replacement, which is rather unlikely because Stefano Domenicali has already announced that the season will not end in Las Vegas, there would now be only nine races left.
With a “replacement finale” in Imola, there would be ten, and if they can race in the Middle East, there would be eleven Grands Prix. “At some point, we will have to make a decision,” Vasseur makes clear, citing mainly logistical reasons.
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Although the races in Qatar (November 29) and Abu Dhabi (December 6) are scheduled to take place in three months, “I think, for logistical reasons, we all have to make a decision together by September, because we have to send the equipment to the Middle East,” emphasizes Vasseur.
Although the two races would only be held in several months, according to the Ferrari team principal, a decision must already be made in the coming weeks. Such a decision would also affect some developments within the teams.
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No updates planned for the season finale, but …
“The development plan does not change because these are the last two [races]. We will not bring anything new in the last two,” Vasseur emphasizes. That means: major upgrades were never planned for Ferrari – and probably almost all other teams – for Qatar and Abu Dhabi anyway.
In this respect, nothing would change, but Vasseur also explains: “The cost cap could be a trickier point because the costs for traveling to Abu Dhabi and Qatar to compete in two races there are enormous.”
“If you don’t go there, you might be able to spend the money elsewhere beforehand, for example on development or similar,” says the team principal. Because a Grand Prix in Imola would be significantly cheaper for the Europe-based teams than two overseas races.
The money saved under the cost cap could then be spent, for example, on additional upgrades. That is also why a timely decision would be important for the teams, although Vasseur also makes clear that he is currently still relatively relaxed.
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A decision in the coming weeks will be “still early enough to handle the last six or seven races after September,” says the Ferrari team principal.
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