Ludo van Denderen is a motorsport journalist at GPblog, specializing in Formula 1 and international racing series.
It is highly unlikely that the 2026 Formula 1 season will end at the Imola circuit. The owners of the Italian circuit will be informed by Formula One Management (FOM) this week, possibly as early as today, that preparations to host a Grand Prix can be halted, GPblog understands.
As hopes grow for a diplomatic solution to the war between the United States and Iran, FOM has become more confident that the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead as planned.
At this point, Formula 1 no longer has any reason to consider travelling to the Middle East for two races irresponsible. The fact that MotoGP held its race there without any problems last weekend serves as evidence of that.
Therefore, there will be no F1 Grand Prix at Imola. Work has been underway there in recent months to build grandstands and make further preparations to host Formula 1, but FOM has decided in principle this week that this can be stopped. Formula 1 will cover the costs already incurred.
Las Vegas could be the final F1 race of 2026
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In the worst-case scenario, if the war in the Middle East flares up again after Imola is told to stop preparations and Formula 1 is unable to travel to the region, the season will end with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 2026 F1 calendar would then feature just 21 Grands Prix.
The cancellation of a Grand Prix at Imola is a disappointment for Italian fans. They would have loved to cheer on newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli at the final race of a historic season. They will now have to wait until the Italian Grand Prix in late summer 2027 to see the Mercedes driver compete in front of his home crowd.
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