Overview
- F1 president Stefano Domenicali has given organisers until the middle of September to decide whether the season‑ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead and said the championship will finish in Europe if they cannot.
- Formula 1 has added the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia as a one‑off host for the Bahrain Grand Prix on 4 October to keep the calendar intact while final decisions are delayed.
- The FIA World Endurance Championship has abandoned its planned Middle East rounds and rescheduled its penultimate and final races to Barcelona on the weekend of 18 October and Monza on 8 November.
- Organisers cite team and spectator safety, difficulty moving freight from Japan after the Fuji round, post‑Brexit customs paperwork and high Middle East hosting fees as the practical reasons narrowing replacement options to Europe.
- F1 is exploring European venues such as Imola to preserve a target race count near 24, but officials warn late‑season weather, logistics and commercial contracts will shape any final replacements and affect teams, staff and fans' travel plans.