Season to end in Europe if war continues - F1 boss

Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali says the 2026 championship will end in Europe if the conflict in the Middle East makes it impossible to hold the season-closing races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Domenicali said on a call with F1 media that a final decision would be made by the "middle of September".

"For us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed," Domenicali said. "By the way, they are already sold out. That is an incredible sign of how much the sport is bigger than the problem that our world is living.

"But of course, if the situation will not be cleared the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September we will take the decision.

"If this will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places."

The 61-year-old did not elaborate on where the final race would be held if Qatar and Abu Dhabi have to be called off, but the strong front-runner is the Imola circuit in Italy.

F1 has already been forced to cancel the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races, which were scheduled for April, as a result of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The sport announced on Sunday that Malaysia would step in hold a race in September on behalf of Bahrain.

Although that event takes F1 to the 21 grands prix needed to satisfy various commercial contracts, Domenicali is determined for there to be another race after the Las Vegas Grand Prix on 21 November.

Domenicali said: "There was a possibility of having two races in Las Vegas, but we don't want to ruin, let me put it this way, a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there.

"And of course, we don't have to forget that in that period of the year, we are fighting in the US against the NFL.

"That is a major sport that is, I don't want to say detracting, but a lot of fans are watching that. So we need to avoid any kind of situation that would put us in front of something that, of course, is still quite big in the US."

Next year, the opening race is set to revert to Bahrain after two years in Australia as a result of the timing of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Domenicali said contingency plans were in place should the war still be ongoing, he added.

"So far, the calendar that will be presented, let's say in autumn, will be as a sort of a normal plan," Domenicali said.

"But in case the situation in the Middle East will be not solved, we have options, different plan. And the trigger for that, of course, is at the end of the year."

He said these alternative plans would "accommodate the fact that we will keep, in any case, the target of 24 countries also for next year".

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Engine rules 'super-positive' but change is coming

This year's new engines, with a nominal 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power, have been criticised by drivers for reducing their ability to drive on the limit.

This is caused by the need to constantly recharge the batteries, which is reducing the challenge of fast corners by turning them into what two-time champion Fernando Alonso has called "charging stations".

But Domenicali said: "There is a lot of action on the track. People are loving it. They are focused on what is happening on the track.

"They don't understand our technology, division of 'clipping', or whatever it is, because it's too technical for the wider base that we have. Therefore, the effect on the track has been widely super positive about the fans."

He acknowledged steps taken to reduce the effect of energy recovery on driving over the next two seasons as "the right thing for the sport".

And he admitted he had asked drivers to be "constructive" in their comments after outspoken remarks from Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and others.

"We are not here to put tape on the mouth of anyone," Domenicali said. "The beauty of motorsport is that everyone can have an opinion, but the opinion is an opinion. I prefer to discuss things in that respect in four walls to find solutions."

The new engines have presented an opportunity for Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of F1's governing body the FIA, to push his plan for a return to naturally aspirated V8 engines for the next set of engine rules in 2030 or 2031.

Ben Sulayem has threatened to impose his wishes unilaterally for 2031, because at that point the FIA is free to do what it likes as the teams' contracts all expire in 2030.

But Domenicali said the sport was on track to have an outline plan for the next engine rules by the end of this year.