Lewis Hamilton could win F1 title at dream track as shock season finale replacement emerges

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton could win F1 title at dream track as shock season finale replacement emerges

F1 are looking at potentially adding more tracks to the 2026 schedule

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 26 July 2026 11:03

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One European track could be added to the 2026 calendar as the season finale, in what could be a dream scenario for Ferrari F1 star Lewis Hamilton.

Two races had to be cancelled earlier this year due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix both falling off the calendar.

While F1 are working hard to potentially replace those two events - with Malaysia's Sepang Circuit and Portugal's Portimao being tipped as possibilities - the current schedule looks like a 22-race calendar, and there could yet be more cancelled events to come.

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The final two race weekends on the 2026 calendar are due to be in the Middle East, at the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, and the situation in the Middle East remains uncertain.

Because of this, it appears as though plans are being put in place incase the season-ending races need to be replaced, to ensure that we do have a showpiece event at the end of the season.

And, in what could be a dream scenario for Hamilton, a return to the calendar for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola as a season finale is now being reported as a possibility by The Race.

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Hamilton to win title in front of adoring fans?

Other than a season finale at Silverstone, it's hard to think of a better ending to the year for Hamilton than at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Imagine this. Lewis Hamilton winning his record-breaking eighth world championship title and first with Ferrari in front of the Italian team's home fans.

Hamilton is currently in second in the drivers' championship, 45 points behind 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli in what could turn into a brilliant title battle between three drivers from two different teams in the latter stages of the season.

Of course, the iconic Imola track would also spell another home race for Antonelli, and it would be interesting to see who the majority of the crowd would be rooting for in that scenario.

The Emilia-Romagna GP was last on the calendar in 2025, meaning it is as F1 ready as any track not already on the schedule, which could mean that a decision to race there could be made at relatively short notice.

Imola dropped off the calendar this year to make way for the new Madring Circuit, which will host the Spanish Grand Prix in September.

The potential return of Imola, Portimao and Malaysia are being reported by many different media outlets, but GPFans understand that these are just some of several circuits under consideration to potentially hold a grand prix further down the line.