Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali promises that the premier class will have officially made a decision about the Qatar GP and Abu Dhabi GP by ‘mid-September’. Due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, there is still uncertainty about the two final races of the 2026 season. However, if the two Grands Prix do not take place, the Las Vegas GP will not be the last race of the current F1 year according to Domenicali. ‘Then the season will end in Europe’, said the F1 CEO.
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Earlier this year, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix were canceled due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. It is now known that the Bahrain GP will be rescheduled. However, it will now be held at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia in early October. At the end of the season, the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are still on the agenda. Although the war in the region continues.
Official decision in September
Speaking to various media, CEO Stefano Domenicali says that an official decision will be made about the two final races of the season by ‘mid-September’. “For us, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are currently confirmed,” said the Italian F1 CEO. “They are, by the way, already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much bigger this sport is than the problem our world is currently facing.”
“But if the situation is not resolved in the way we deem necessary, we will of course make a decision before mid-September,” Domenicali continues. “If that is not possible, the season will end in Europe, because we cannot go to other locations.”
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No second Las Vegas GP
With that, Domenicali has also immediately ruled out the 2026 season ending with the Las Vegas GP. “There was a possibility to organize two races in Las Vegas,” said the Italian. “However, we want to – let me put it this way – not spoil a rising jewel by underestimating what we do there. And of course, we must not forget that during that time of year in the US, we compete with the NFL.”
For Domenicali, the latter is also a reason to stick to one Grand Prix in Las Vegas. “The NFL is a big sport that – I don’t want to say it detracts from us, but – many fans watch,” the CEO adds. “So we must avoid any situation where we would compete with something that, of course, is still quite big in the US.”
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