While all eyes are on Formula 1’s debut at MADRING for this weekend’s TAG Heuer Spanish Grand Prix, where the 2026 season will end is still unconfirmed.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi are still officially scheduled to close out the championship on 29 November and 6 December, respectively, but conflict in the Middle East has already reshaped this year’s calendar.
That most notably came with the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, relocated to Sepang in Malaysia for October after its original date earlier in the year became untenable.
A decision on whether Qatar and Abu Dhabi can stage their races will have to be made soon as the shape of the season finale remains unclear.
Here, Sector looks at what the key figures are saying about the differing prospects at the end of the year.
Stefano Domenicali – President and Chief Executive Officer, F1
A final decision on Qatar and Abu Dhabi is due no earlier than mid-September, a deadline Domenicali has held to consistently since late July.
Speaking to reporters, including Sector, on 29 July, he confirmed Europe would be the only fallback if the Middle East races couldn’t go ahead, ruling out any other region.
“For us today, the race 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,” he said at the time.
“But I just want to confirm to you that if this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places.”
Asked whether Bahrain’s relocation to Malaysia offered a template for Qatar or Abu Dhabi, Domenicali was clear that model wasn’t repeatable at this scale.
“What we did with Bahrain and Malaysia was fantastic, because we really want the Bahrain Grand Prix to be part of it. But I don’t think that this could be a long-term approach, because we need to be credible and consistent,” he explained.
Imola has repeatedly come up as the leading European candidate, though Domenicali has stopped short of confirming it. “Imola is in the basket, but it’s not defined as Imola,” he said.
Speaking on Liberty Media’s Q2 earnings call on 6 August, his language remained confident, framing both races as expected to go ahead as part of a broader financial recovery story.
“We are closely monitoring developments in the Middle East region,” he said.
“Originally we hoped to bring one race back to the region, but unfortunately we were unable to do so as planned. Instead, we recently announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix will be rescheduled and held in Malaysia.
“Looking ahead, we continue to expect that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are to currently proceed as scheduled for a 23-race calendar this season. We expect to return to a full 24-race calendar next season.”
Speaking in Madrid ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Domenicali offered his latest take on the situation.
“The schedule is confirmed as it stands today, right up until the final in Abu Dhabi and if anything changes, of course we’ll keep you informed,” he said.
“In close collaboration with the FIA, the promoters and, of course, the entire community, we are monitoring the situation.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem – President, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
Ben Sulayem has led the FIA since December 2021 and was re-elected unopposed for a second term at the end of 2025.
Born in Dubai, he has been deliberately non-committal on Qatar and Abu Dhabi in recent days, defending the wait for clarity rather than offering any timeline of his own.
He was also explicit that safety, not commercial pressure, will decide the outcome, while acknowledging the FIA doesn’t hold that decision alone.
“Business as usual. We are not changing anything unless we have to. Being from that part of the world, we can’t jump the gun and just say, that’s it, we are cancelling and then cancel,” he told the Associated Press.
“Are we going to allow our people, our staff, the drivers or the teams to go at risk?
“No, of course not. We will not. But we’ll have also to listen to the governments and to the local promoter there.”
This isn’t the first time Ben Sulayem has had to address the region’s instability directly.
In March, as the conflict escalated and forced the cancellation of a Pirelli tyre test in Bahrain, he issued a statement expressing condolences for those affected and calling for “a swift return to stability,” while confirming the FIA was in close contact with member clubs, promoters and teams on the ground.
He has consistently framed the situation as one the governing body is monitoring case by case, rather than pre-empting with a fixed position, a stance that has held from that initial statement through to his most recent comments.
Good background secured. Now let’s get Abu Dhabi/Yas Marina context to match.Excellent, plenty of good context for both. Here are the two rebuilt sections.
Abdul Rahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai – President, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation
Lusail International Circuit was built by QMMF in 2004 as a motorbike venue, hosting MotoGP long before F1 arrived.
Qatar’s first Grand Prix came in 2021, filling a pandemic-disrupted calendar gap, before the circuit signed a long-term contract in 2023 to remain on the schedule into the next decade.
That 2023 race became notorious for its conditions rather than its racing, run in early October with cockpit temperatures reaching 50°C, leaving several drivers physically unwell.
The FIA subsequently moved the Qatar Grand Prix to its current late-November slot specifically to avoid a repeat.
Speaking following the cancellation of this year’s Qatar 1812km WEC race, Al Mannai was clear he is not offering a guarantee that November’s F1 Grand Prix will happen regardless of circumstances, rather that Qatar’s own preparations continue until told otherwise, as any host is required to.
“We cannot stop our plans for MotoGP and Formula 1,” he said.
“We have to be ready. We are taking it one step at a time, assessing the situation and maintaining an open dialogue across both series, but so far everything is good and everything is a go-ahead.
“Of course, there are things that we cannot predict. It’s difficult. We don’t know what’s going to happen.
“The situation has been fluid, even though it’s been really quiet so far. It depends on what happens in the next couple of months or so.”
Saif Rashid Al Noaimi – Chief Executive Officer, Ethara
Yas Marina Circuit has hosted F1’s season finale continuously since 2014, and before that in 2009 and 2010, making Abu Dhabi’s closing weekend one of the calendar’s most established fixtures.
A contract extension signed in 2021 secured that position through to 2030, well beyond the current uncertainty facing this year’s race specifically.
Al Noaimi, whose company promotes the Grand Prix, struck a considerably more confident tone than his Qatari counterpart when speaking to The National in late August.
With preparations at Yas Marina reported to be progressing well, he tied that confidence directly to the circuit’s recent track record with the sport.
“As promoter of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, our focus is firmly on delivering another outstanding season finale this December,” he said.
“Building on our recognition as Formula 1’s Promoter of the Year, we are working closely with Formula 1 and our partners across Abu Dhabi to deliver an exceptional experience for fans, teams, drivers, officials and partners.”
The entertainment programme around the race is already largely locked in regardless of the wider uncertainty, with Andrea Bocelli, Zara Larsson, Lewis Capaldi and Imagine Dragons among the acts confirmed for this year’s concerts.
That scale of programming underlines how far advanced Abu Dhabi’s own preparations are compared to the broader question of whether the race goes ahead at all.
