F1 stands down Imola fallback for 2026 finale

Formula 1 has formally stood down Imola as a fall-back venue for the 2026 season finale, with the championship still set to conclude in Qatar and Abu Dhabi as originally planned.

The contingency was introduced amid uncertainty caused by the US/Israel-Iran war. Safety concerns led to the cancellation of April's races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and the Bahrain Grand Prix was ultimately held in Malaysia in September following a deal with the Sepang track. The Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds, scheduled for November 29 and December 6, had remained uncertain, which prompted the Imola plan.

F1 had agreed to underwrite the estimated $10-15 million cost of the Imola race and had funded early preparations there. The decision to stand the venue down was communicated to Imola on Tuesday, although F1 stressed it will still cancel the Middle East races if threat assessments indicate unnecessary risk.