Formula One is prepared to wait to determine whether this season can end in the Middle East.
The campaign is scheduled to finish with rounds in Qatar on November 29 and then in Abu Dhabi a week later.
Imola has been placed on standby for the season finale if the events in the Middle East cannot be staged due to the United States-Iran conflict.
It had been expected a decision would be taken by the middle of this month to finalise the state of the remaining races.
However, the Press Association understands there is no timeline in place and a hard deadline has not been set. Tickets remain on sale for both events.
It is also expected next year’s calendar will be confirmed later this week, possibly on Wednesday, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in line to host the opening two rounds in March.
Both races were cancelled this year amid the escalation of violence in the region, although a ‘Bahrain Grand Prix’ will unusually be staged at Malaysia’s Sepang venue, south of Kuala Lumpur, next month.
There is obvious unease about staging a global sporting event in the Middle East.
BREAKING: Malaysia will host the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit from 2-4 October 2026
Positioned between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, this event, which is subject to final agreements and official sign-off, will become the Formula 1 Gulf Air… pic.twitter.com/ArTS4tAJIE
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2026
The UK’s current Foreign Office advice says the “situation remains unpredictable” and that there is “a risk of more attacks and unforeseen escalation”, although it no longer advises against travel to the region.
With Qatar and Abu Dhabi still both officially on this year’s calendar, nine scheduled rounds remain.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli took a major stride toward landing his maiden title by winning in Madrid on Sunday.
The Italian was helped by a Virtual Safety Car period which ended Lando Norris’ hopes of landing his third win in four races, all but killing off his outside chance of defending his world crown.
Norris described the VSC as a “stupid rule” and called for changes to the timing of its deployment to make it fair for all the drivers.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen believes the debate will be raised at the next drivers’ briefing in Azerbaijan in a fortnight.
He said: “It is extremely painful for Lando to lose a win. Sometimes you might lose points (because of the VSC) but this time it cost him a win.
“That’s not nice, but a lot of drivers have had it in the past. Can it be better? Probably yes. We will talk about it in the next briefing and see if there is anything that can be done.”
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