New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) Formula 1 intends to end the ongoing season, as scheduled, in the Middle East amid the hostilities in the region.
With six races to go, the season will end in a triple header in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with the final two races in the Middle East region. The status of the final two races has been uncertain amid the tensions in the region.
This comes after Audi team principal Mattia Binotto had stated that the last call on the races would be taken in mid-October. “As we discussed during the F1 Commission last Monday, mid-October is the last call for such a decision,” Binotto said in a press conference in Baku on September 24.
However, a report in ESPN stated that F1 is intending to end the season as scheduled. It added that the sport has been in contact with the authorities in both countries and that the plans to end the season in the Middle East remain as planned as of October 15.
Amid the uncertainty, Italy’s Imola has been making grandstands for a back-up option in case the Middle East races are called off. In that case, two races would be replaced by one in Imola, with one getting dropped.
The sport has now pushed back on the idea of confirming where the 2026 season will end, which is contrary to the previous reports. As of now, the Middle East races remain intact unless the sporting body states otherwise.
F1 had cancelled the Saudi Arabian GP and the Bahrain GP in April amid the war in the Middle East. The Bahrain GP was relocated to Malaysia early this month, while the Saudi race was cancelled altogether.
Speaking during the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races remain intact. “Yes, as we’ve already said, the calendar is confirmed: the last two Grands Prix will be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
“This is the direction we’ve taken based on the information and reassurances we have — and which we absolutely must have, of course. It’s the strategy we’ll apply until the end of the year,” he had said.
–IANS
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