F1 keeps Qatar and Abu Dhabi finale plans as Imola backup is stood down

Formula 1 is continuing with its planned season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and has told Italy’s Imola circuit to stop preparing as a replacement venue, BBC Sport reported on Tuesday. The decision retains the existing calendar, but organisers have not ruled out cancelling the two events if conditions in the Middle East deteriorate.

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The Qatar race weekend remains scheduled for 27-29 November, followed by Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on 4-6 December. Imola had been asked to prepare to stage a grand prix on the December dates if the Middle Eastern rounds could not take place. According to the BBC report, the Italian venue was instructed on Tuesday to halt those preparations.

F1 said proceeding with Qatar and Abu Dhabi had remained its preferred course. It cited conditions in the two countries that had not worsened in recent months, government advice that continued to permit travel and insurance that remained valid. Organisers also pointed to events taking place and business activity returning to normal levels, and said all teams supported finishing the season at the scheduled venues.

That decision comes with an explicit safety qualification. An F1 spokesperson said the series would act if the regional situation developed adversely before the races and would continue to put everyone’s safety first. BBC Sport reported that several senior figures within F1 nevertheless remained uneasy about travelling, citing the races’ proximity to areas around the Strait of Hormuz where missile strikes were continuing.

The conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has already affected this year’s championship schedule. The Saudi Arabian round originally planned for April was cancelled, while the Bahrain race, also initially set for April, was postponed. The Bahrain Grand Prix eventually took place at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit in October, according to BBC Sport, providing an earlier example of the disruption facing the calendar.

Other sporting events have also formed part of the backdrop. MotoGP staged a race in Qatar last weekend, while attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen have prompted cancellations or postponements of several events in neighbouring Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. For F1, the immediate decision is to retain its two scheduled closing rounds while leaving cancellation possible if circumstances change.