Formula 1’s season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain in doubt amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem insisting the sport will not put its teams or drivers at risk.
The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled for November 29, followed by Abu Dhabi on December 6. However, no decision has yet been made on whether the races can safely go ahead.
Ben Sulayem urged F1 not to “jump the gun” by cancelling the Middle Eastern rounds prematurely, stressing that the situation remains “business as usual” for now.
“We are not changing anything unless we have to,” 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.”
F1 is expected to make a decision before the end of September, with sea freight for the final races needing to be dispatched around that time.
Should Qatar and Abu Dhabi be cancelled, Imola has reportedly been lined up as a replacement on December 6. That would leave the 2026 calendar with at least 22 races, following the return of the Malaysian Grand Prix to Sepang on October 4.
The uncertainty has already affected other motorsport championships. The World Endurance Championship cancelled its season-ending races in Qatar and Bahrain, while MotoGP has reportedly decided to cancel its Qatar round, although the decision has yet to be officially confirmed.
The situation is also complicating preparations for the 2027 F1 calendar. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are currently scheduled to open next season, but alternative plans are reportedly being considered, with China emerging as a potential replacement opener if racing in the region remains impossible.
Ben Sulayem, however, said there was currently “no emergency” surrounding the 2027 calendar.
Hadjar Set to Miss Madrid Return
Red Bull Racing has confirmed that Isack Hadjar will miss a third consecutive race as he continues recovering from a broken wrist.
Hadjar suffered the injury in a training accident during the midseason break and has already missed the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix. He will now sit out this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Madrid’s Madring circuit.
Liam Lawson will continue alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, while Yuki Tsunoda will get another opportunity with Racing Bulls.
Hadjar will travel to Madrid to support the team but is not yet ready to return to the cockpit.
Lawson endured a difficult weekend in Italy, finishing 14th after being knocked out in Q2 and later becoming involved in an early-race incident with Nico Hülkenberg.
Tsunoda fared better, recovering from 17th on the grid to finish 10th and score his first F1 point since last year’s Qatar Grand Prix.
However, that point could still be at risk.
Audi has indicated that it plans to appeal the stewards’ decision not to penalise Tsunoda for his unusual positioning during the red-flag restart at Monza.
The stewards determined that Tsunoda remained within his designated grid box despite facing an awkward angle towards the pit wall.
Audi has until Thursday night AEST to formally lodge its appeal. If successful, Tsunoda could receive a 30-second stop-go penalty added to his race time, dropping him from 10th to 15th and promoting Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto into the final points position.
