Formula 1 is actively evaluating contingency plans for the 2026 season as regional instability in the Middle East threatens to disrupt the final rounds of the championship. According to reports from Gazzetta dello Sport and confirmed by sources at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola and the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia have emerged as the primary standby venues.
The current 2026 calendar includes the Qatar Grand Prix on November 29 and the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 6. Should the conflict in the region render these events untenable, Imola is positioned to host a potential championship decider. Such a move would mark the first time a European circuit has hosted the final race of a season since the 1997 European Grand Prix at Jerez. While Portimao and Istanbul were previously considered, planned winter construction works at those venues have made them unavailable for late-season scheduling.
Separately, Malaysia is expected to make a return to the F1 calendar on October 4, filling the slot vacated by the cancelled Bahrain Grand Prix. The proposed race would be strategically placed between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 26 and the Singapore Grand Prix on October 11. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that an official announcement regarding the country’s F1 status is imminent. Reports suggest the event could be branded as the ‘Bahrain Grand Prix’ to utilize existing hosting fee structures, effectively mitigating financial risks associated with the circuit’s return after a nine-year hiatus.