F1 president states final two races will go ahead in Qatar and Abu Dhabi despite ongoing war

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has reaffirmed his commitment to the sport's pre-established calendar, particularly when it comes to the end of the current season.

There have been concerns for months that the season-ending double-header in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will have to be moved or cancelled like the Bahrain and Saudi races earlier in the year due to ongoing unrest in the Middle East, sparked into life by American military strikes earlier in the year.

Imola has been tabbed as a potential replacement for Abu Dhabi, with Qatar set up to be cancelled altogether, and the Italian circuit has begun making preparations in case they're called upon.

However, Domenicali has been firm from the start that things will be business as usual right up until they aren't – telling Sky Italy once again at the Bahrain Grand Prix (in Malaysia) that the previously confirmed calendar remains the organisation's North Star.

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Domenicali: The calendar is confirmed

He said: "Yes, as we've already said, the calendar is confirmed: the last two Grands Prix will be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. This is the direction we've taken based on the information and reassurances we have – and which we absolutely must have, of course. It's the strategy we'll apply until the end of the year."

While that looks absolute and definitive, it's actually just a continuation of Domenicali's refusal to take the races off the calendar until absolutely necessary. As some team principals revealed recently, an actual final decision on the races is expected in mid-October – and the 3rd of the month is decidedly not 'mid-October'.

Why on earth is the decision taking so long, with less than two months remaining until Qatar's race is supposed to kick off? Unsurprisingly, a big part of the equation is money.

F1 is likely to be playing a game of chicken with the race organisers over which party will officially call off the races. When the promotors are the ones who hit the big red button, they're typically obliged to still pay their hefty sanctioning fee – a number well into eight figures.

When the cancellation is initiated by the commercial rights holder (in this case, F1 owner Liberty Media) though, the sanctioning fee heads back to its point of origin. As such, neither party is willing to just bite the bullet and announce the cancellation that is widely expected.

Meanwhile, fans and teams are left in the lurch.

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