F1 confirms 2026 season finale could move to Europe as decision deadline revealed

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F1 confirms 2026 season finale could move to Europe as decision deadline revealed

The Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are currently scheduled to finish the 2026 season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 29 July 2026 14:10

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F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has suggested the 2026 season finale could be moved to Europe as uncertainty remains over the final two races on this year's calendar.

Speculation has been rising recently about the potential cancellations of the final two race weekends of the scheduled 2026 season, with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix under threat due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Both of April's F1 races, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, were cancelled because of the US-Israel war with Iran, and the situation in the region remains uncertain.

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As a result, F1 rescheduled the Bahrain GP, but are holding it in Malaysia in October, avoiding the kind of logistical concerns they would have had trying to fit it in at the Bahrain International Circuit.

It is understood that both Imola and Portimao in Portugal are under consideration to hold the 2026 season finale, should the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix have to be cancelled.

With the season-ending race currently scheduled for December, that would mean holding an F1 race right in the peak of the European winter.

And now, Domenicali has confirmed there is the possibility of both the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races relocating to Europe, to ensure we do get a double-header to end the 2026 championship.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the World Endurance Championship (WEC) have dropped both the Qatar 1812km and 8 Hours of Bahrain from their calendar, and instead added races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Monza on October 18 and November 8 respectively.

GPFans understands F1 are continuing to monitor the situation with the hope that both grands prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead as planned.

Domenicali admits contingency plans in place

Despite this, F1 CEO Domenicali told media on Wednesday that there is the possibility that the last two races of the year could move to Europe.

The Italian also revealed a deadline for when that decision will be made, confirming that there will be more than the three-week notice that was given for the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix earlier this year.

"With regard to the end of the season, we are in touch with all the other championships," Domenicali said. "And I know that, for example, WEC has announced that they will not go at the end of the year in the Middle East and they will stay in Europe.

"The way that we are structured is that we will take the maximum time for us to see how the situation will develop, and we will take the decision at the right time. That moment would be not before the middle of September.

"For us, today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed. But, of course, if the situation will not be clearer, the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September, we will take the decision."

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