FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said Formula 1’s final two races of 2026, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, will go ahead despite regional conflict. Imola stays on standby, backup officials are ready, and he did not rule out a change of plan if conditions shift.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem was handed the question that has hung over Formula 1’s autumn, and he answered it without hedging. Speaking to a group of reporters on Tuesday, the FIA president said the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, the last two rounds of the season, will be run as planned. “I can only tell you today that there is nothing and the two races are going to happen,” he said.
A president with skin in the game
The reassurance leaned on the personal. Ben Sulayem said his children live in the United Arab Emirates and that he would not leave them somewhere dangerous. He suggested that what is reported in the media differs from the situation on the ground, and said the FIA would “never take our staff or drivers or any officials to a place where we feel it is risky.” Asked whether FIA personnel were free to travel to the region, he said he was happy for them to go.
A fallback, and a caveat
The statement came with a safety net. Imola remains the standby venue if the situation turns, a plan Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali had already described as the backup to a primary plan of racing in the region. Ben Sulayem said the FIA is ready to act if it has to, and that a second team of officials is prepared to cover for key personnel if government travel restrictions stop them reaching the Gulf. He pointed to a round of the Middle East Rally Championship in Lebanon, staffed by officials from Cyprus, Greece and Jordan, as an example of how such cover has worked.
He also stopped short of a guarantee. Ben Sulayem acknowledged that he cannot predict every future event, and what he offered was a description of how things stand today.
The pressure behind the question
The doubts are rooted in a volatile region. A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi group on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 13 people. The airport has reopened with limited service, and Britain has pledged fighter jets to help Saudi Arabia defend against further attacks. The wider conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States continues.
Inside the paddock, though, the mood had already moved. A firm decision had been expected in mid-September, then in mid-October. More recently, talk of cancelling both rounds has faded, and the working assumption has been that the races go ahead unless someone says otherwise. The sport has shown it will adapt when it must. This season’s Bahrain Grand Prix was run at Sepang in Malaysia, where Max Verstappen won a rain-hit race on 4 October. MotoGP, which also visits Qatar, is expected to stage its rescheduled round there in November after its promoter received assurances from local authorities.
Four rounds, then the Gulf
Formula 1 has four rounds to get through before the double-header. The United States Grand Prix in Austin runs from 23 to 25 October, followed by Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas. Qatar then takes the weekend of 27 to 29 November, and Abu Dhabi closes the season on 4 to 6 December. Austin follows the Singapore Grand Prix, where Verstappen won for the first time at Marina Bay.
For now, the FIA’s position is clear and its escape route is already mapped. The message from the governing body is that the calendar stands, and that Imola is ready if it does not.
