Formula 1 will wait until mid-September before deciding whether the planned season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead, while ruling out the possibility of adding a second Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The Qatar race is scheduled for November 29, followed by Abu Dhabi on December 6. Both events have been thrown into doubt by renewed hostilities in the Middle East after Bahrain and Saudi Arabia had already lost their April races because of the outbreak of the Iran war.

September decision on Qatar and Abu Dhabi

F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said the sport would give itself “maximum time” before making a decision. The races remain on the schedule and are sold out, but Formula 1 is preparing alternatives if conditions prevent them from taking place.

“At present, the races are due to go ahead,” Domenicali told reporters. He added that if the two Middle Eastern rounds were cancelled, “the only possibility is to finish in Europe within the same (calendar) framework of the time.”

Imola leads European contingency options

Imola is currently the leading candidate to host a replacement event and is already “in the basket” of possible options, according to Domenicali. Istanbul Park in Turkey and Portimão in Portugal are also being considered, although both would need additional work to be ready at short notice.

A December race at Imola would be among the coldest events of the season, with average high temperatures of about 8ºC (46ºF). Domenicali said the conditions should nevertheless be manageable, noting that they would not be dramatically different from those experienced during Las Vegas’s night race.

No second Las Vegas weekend

Formula 1 had considered staging a second race in Las Vegas, potentially over the Thanksgiving weekend currently allocated to Qatar. The idea was ultimately rejected because of the crowded U.S. sporting calendar, particularly competition from the NFL, as well as the logistical and administrative requirement for F1 to return to the United Kingdom.

“I can guarantee that we will not do any other race in the U.S.,” Domenicali said. He argued that adding another Las Vegas event could weaken the value of a race that F1 has worked to establish as a major attraction.

Las Vegas joined the calendar in 2023, with Formula 1 acting as promoter and investing more than half a billion dollars in the event. Its contract was extended earlier this year through 2037, but a second race this season would also have required new agreements with local authorities and Clark County to close roads, including parts of the Strip, for another weekend.

F1 has already announced that Malaysia will return in October after plans to restore Bahrain to the calendar were abandoned. The sport’s next major scheduling decision will determine whether the championship ends in the Middle East as planned or concludes with a European replacement race.