Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali has said the 2026 season will finish in Europe if the war in the Middle East makes it impossible to hold the planned season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. He said both races remain confirmed for now and are already sold out, but a final decision on their status will be made by mid-September, with F1 unwilling to travel to alternative locations outside Europe if they must be cancelled.

The Imola circuit in Italy is seen as the likely replacement venue, though Domenicali did not confirm this. F1 has already cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races that were due in April because of the conflict, with Malaysia stepping in to host a September race on Bahrain's behalf. Domenicali also ruled out adding a second Las Vegas race to fill any gap, citing competition from the NFL and a wish not to dilute the Las Vegas event, and said contingency plans exist to preserve F1's target of 24 races across different countries next year.