A decision now pushed to mid-October
Formula 1 will not know until the middle of next month whether its season actually ends where the calendar says it does. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still down for the final two rounds of 2026, back-to-back weekends on November 27-29 and December 4-6, but the conflict that flared up in the region back in February has hung over both races for months.
Team principals got their update during Thursday’s press conference at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a day after F1’s Commission met to discuss the situation. Haas boss Ayao Komatsu relayed the timeline plainly. “I believe that Stefano is targeting to tell us in mid-October so we all know the situation,” he said, referring to F1 president Stefano Domenicali. Audi’s Mattia Binotto put it just as bluntly: “Mid-October is the last call for such a decision.”
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23 races, one contingency plan
The current calendar runs to 23 rounds, the largest in the sport’s history, and both Middle Eastern venues remain on it with organisers still working toward staging them as planned. Behind the scenes, though, Italy’s Imola circuit is being lined up as the fallback to close out the season if Qatar or Abu Dhabi cannot go ahead, a reminder that F1 has leaned on European venues for late substitutions before, most notably during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season.
Hamilton wants to make the trip
Not every voice in the paddock is neutral on the outcome. Lewis Hamilton, now in his 20th season of Formula 1, made his own preference clear. “I personally want to go. I love going to the Middle East… I do hope that we get to go there,” the Ferrari driver said. Several Grands Prix remain before anyone finds out whether he gets his wish, with mid-October circled as the moment F1 finally commits one way or the other.
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