If Formula 1 decides not to travel to the Middle East because of the US-Iran conflict, the first option would surely be to see if an alternative race can be held somewhere else. As with every round of speculation about a ‘new’ race on the calendar, the usual names pop up: Imola in Italy and Portimão in Portugal.

GPblog has already explained that a race in Imola — with some goodwill — is possible, although it would be difficult. For Portimão, it seems completely impossible to make room for Formula 1 unless the already announced racing series are reshuffled drastically. On the weekends when Formula 1 would otherwise be in the Middle East, the circuit is in fact fully booked.

To start with, during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Porsches are on track in Portimão, including the Swiss championship. A week later, when the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix would be held, International GT Open races are scheduled. Another week on, there’s the CRM event.

Of course, it’s possible to cancel such weekends, but that could prove quite costly. After all, teams, drivers, and spectators have already incurred expenses to travel to Portimão on a given weekend. And then try finding an alternative date for them as well.

None of that is out of the question, but it certainly is difficult. Portimão therefore does not seem the first option as a potential replacement for Bahrain or Saudi Arabia.

The FIA have postponed the 2026 World Endurance Championship season opener set to take place at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar on March 26-28 amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Currently, no F1 races have been postponed, but speculation surrounds upcoming races in the Middle East, particularly those in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.