F1 stands Imola down: the 2026 season ends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi

Formula 1 will end the 2026 season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi as planned. The organisers at Imola were told on Tuesday that their circuit will not be needed for a back-up race in December, Sky Sports reports.

That keeps the final three rounds unchanged: Las Vegas on 20 to 22 November, Qatar at Lusail on 27 to 29 November and Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina on 4 to 6 December. The full background, and who said what in the paddock, is in our story on Qatar and Abu Dhabi safety.

Imola built grandstands for a race that will not happen

Imola had been on standby for a single race on 6 December, to replace both Gulf rounds if the situation in the Middle East made them impossible. Work had already started there, including grandstands and temporary facilities, at F1’s cost, Autoweek reports.

The deadline was well known in the paddock. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said at Interlagos that Imola had to be told by Tuesday 10 November whether it would host a race. F1 used that day to stand the Italian circuit down.

For Kimi Antonelli, the decision ends the idea of a home finale in his first season as world champion. The Italian clinched the title in Mexico City, and Mercedes sealed the constructors’ championship in Brazil.

“We are ready for Qatar and Abu Dhabi”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem backed the plan on Instagram on Tuesday. “We are ready for Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” he wrote, adding that the FIA is “fully prepared and committed to delivering two outstanding Grands Prix weekends”, according to Sky Sports.

F1 has not published a statement of its own on formula1.com. Its president Stefano Domenicali has said all along that the last two races stay where they are unless the situation in the region gets worse, and F1 will keep monitoring it in the weeks before the races.

MotoGP raced at Lusail, without Yamaha

The two-wheel world has already faced the same question. MotoGP held its Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail last weekend, but without Yamaha, which said it had found no grounds to lift its company-wide travel restrictions for the Middle East. Marco Bezzecchi won the race for Aprilia, MotoGP reports.

Our read: the right call, with the door left open

Deciding now is about logistics as much as safety. F1 has to know where to send its freight after Las Vegas, and every extra week of doubt would have cost Imola more money for a race it might never host. The FIA’s public backing is clear. What is missing is a formal F1 statement, and that gap matters: if the situation changes, the calendar can still change with it, but there is no longer a ready-made European fallback. Without Imola, a late cancellation would mean the season ends in Las Vegas, with fewer races than the teams were promised.

Las Vegas first, then Lusail on 29 November

The next round is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 20 to 22 November. Start times are in our Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026 schedule, all remaining dates are in the F1 calendar 2026, and the points after Brazil are in the F1 standings 2026.

Sources: Sky Sports, Autoweek (via Yahoo Sports), MotoGP. Photo: © Red Bull Content Pool.

Should F1 race in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, or would you rather have seen a December finale at Imola? Tell us in the comments.