Overview
- F1 boss Stefano Domenicali says a decision will come within weeks on whether the season-ending Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds can go ahead, and he says a fallback plan is ready.
- The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were canceled due to regional conflict, dropping the 2026 schedule from 24 to 22 races and creating a five-week gap.
- Domenicali signaled F1 could recover one of the canceled races later in the year, though he said fitting both back in is unlikely.
- He warned that rising fuel and freight costs and extreme heat in the region narrow late-year options and increase strain on operations.
- Several teams, including Mercedes in reports, oppose adding a replacement race because the current run-in is dense and the freight load would be punishing.