Formula One sticks with Qatar and Abu Dhabi finale amid Middle East conflict

Formula One will finish the 2026 season as originally planned in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, having stood down Italy's Imola circuit as a back-up option, the Guardian and BBC Sport report.

The Qatar Grand Prix takes place on 27-29 November, with the Abu Dhabi round completing the campaign on 4-6 December.

Imola, around 20 miles from Bologna, had been asked to prepare for a possible grand prix on the Abu Dhabi dates if the two Gulf races could not go ahead because of the conflict in the region. Imola was told on Tuesday to stand down those preparations, though F1 has said it remains ready to cancel the Middle East events if circumstances change.

The disruption to the calendar is not new. The April rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were affected when the war broke out, with the Saudi race cancelled outright and the Bahrain event postponed before eventually being staged at Sepang in Malaysia.

The Press Association understands that a meeting of key stakeholders was held on Tuesday, with teams said to be seeking clarity and assurances over contingency plans should the conflict escalate during the Qatar or Abu Dhabi race weeks.

An F1 spokesperson told the BBC: "If the situation develops negatively in the coming weeks before the events in the Middle East, we will not hesitate to do the right thing and the safety of everyone will always be the priority."

F1 has pressed ahead with the Gulf finale because the situation in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates has not, in the spokesperson's words, "negatively developed" in recent months, with government travel advice still permitting travel, insurance remaining valid and events and business continuing as normal in both countries.

The Guardian reports that F1 teams have consistently voiced confidence in the sport and the FIA to make the correct call on where the season should end, and that none is understood to have objected to travelling to the Middle East.

The wider sporting picture in the region has been mixed. The Guardian reports that MotoGP went ahead with its Qatar race last weekend despite reported resistance from riders, with Yamaha choosing to withdraw from the event.

Barring any change in the security situation, F1's season will now run its course as scheduled, with the Qatar Grand Prix on 27-29 November followed by the Abu Dhabi finale on 4-6 December.