Formula 1 will end its season in Europe if its final two Middle East rounds are unable to go ahead. Stefano Domenicali told reporters on Wednesday that F1 and the FIA do not have to make a decision about the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix until "the middle of September". But there is no doubt that both races are under threat.
The decision to host a rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix in October, 3,750 miles away in Malaysia, is evidence that the Middle East has been deemed too unsafe given ongoing conflict in the region. Fears for the other two remaining F1 races grew on Tuesday when the World Endurance Championship confirmed the cancellation of its Qatar round, which was due to take place at the end of October.
Contingency plans drawn up
While F1 has yet to confirm it will do the same, contingency plans have been drawn up in case a season finale in the Middle East is deemed unviable. Domenicali said: "For us, today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed. By the way, they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problem that our world is living."
"But of course, if the situation will not be cleared the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September we will take the decision. If this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places."
Imola emerges as front-runner
Portimao was the initial front-runner to host, but the circuit is also undergoing upgrades ahead of the return of the Portuguese Grand Prix next year. As such, the Imola circuit in Italy is now understood to be the most likely venue for a hastily-arranged alternative finale. It is a particularly attractive option because of the possibility of Bologna-born Kimi Antonelli being crowned champion at the circuit he grew up close to, or perhaps one of the Ferrari drivers winning the title on Italian soil.
That said, it may not be the only race arranged at short notice for that late period on the season. Domenicali added: "There was a possibility of having two races in Las Vegas, but we don't want to ruin, let me put it this way, a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there. And of course, we don't have to forget that in that period of the year, we are fighting in the US against the NFL. That is a major sport that is, I don't want to say detracting, but a lot of fans are watching that. So we need to avoid any kind of situation that would put us in front of something that, of course, is still quite big in the US."
2027 calendar delayed
The ongoing changes to this season's calendar has also delayed the announcement of a 2027 schedule. And Domenicali hinted that the announcement about next year's plans may not come for some time, though Bahrain is set to host the season opener next March if tensions in the region have calmed by then. He said: "So far, the calendar that will be presented, let's say in autumn, will be as a sort of a normal plan. But in case the situation in the Middle East will be not solved, we have options, different plan. And the trigger for that, of course, is at the end of the year."
