Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali has stated that the 2026 championship may end in Europe if conflict in the Middle East makes it impossible to hold the season-closing races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Although the final two races of the season currently remain on track, F1 has set a mid-September review deadline to decide if the championship will conclude in Europe instead. This decision follows the US-Israel war on Iran.
The conflict has already caused disruptions to the schedule, with races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain called off in April due to the Iran war. Consequently, Malaysia’s Sepang circuit is now scheduled to host the Bahrain race on October 4.