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Qatar declares F1 race is ‘going ahead’

Speedcafe.com · Ben Waterworth · 2026-09-02T01:22:21+00:00 · nguồn gốc

Lusail is scheduled to host the penultimate round of the 2026 season on November 29, one week before Abu Dhabi brings the campaign to a close. However, both races remain under scrutiny because of the continuing conflict in the region, with Formula 1 expected to make a further assessment around the middle of September. Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) president Abdul Rahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai said preparations had not been scaled back, with organisers continuing to work towards both the F1 weekend and the MotoGP round scheduled for November 8. “Qatar has been safe for months now. Our airport is 100 percent operational, including transit flights between Asia and Europe,” Al Mannai said. “If you visit Qatar, you will see we are back to normal life, so we’re really looking forward to hosting races again soon.” The QMMF’s confidence comes despite the FIA World Endurance Championship abandoning its planned visit to Qatar in October. The Qatar 1812km was initially postponed from its original March date before being rescheduled for October 24, but the championship later cancelled the event altogether as it reshaped the final stages of its season around the ongoing regional situation. WEC also removed its Bahrain finale, with Barcelona and Monza brought into the calendar as European replacements. F1 has so far stopped short of taking the same step, with Qatar and Abu Dhabi remaining on its calendar as planned. Al Mannai acknowledged that circumstances could still change but said organisers could not afford to halt preparations while waiting for greater certainty. “We are up and running and preparing for MotoGP, and it’s the same with our discussions with Formula 1,” he said. “Of course, there are things that we cannot predict. It’s difficult. We don’t know what’s going to happen. “The situation has been fluid, even though it’s been really quiet so far. It depends on what happens in the next couple of months or so. “For us, we cannot stop the plans. We have to be ready. We are taking it one step at a time to see the situation and assess. “But so far, everything is good. Everything is a go-ahead.” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in July that no final call would be made before the middle of September, with both Qatar and Abu Dhabi still considered confirmed events at that stage. “We will take the decision at the right time,” Domenicali said. “That moment will be not before the middle of September. So as we said, for us today, the races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi are confirmed. “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.” Domenicali nevertheless made clear that Formula 1 would act if the situation failed to improve sufficiently. “But of course, if the situation would not be clearer the way that we believe it should be, before the middle of September, we will take the decision.” Should either of the remaining Middle Eastern rounds become untenable, Formula 1 has already confirmed the season would instead conclude in Europe. Imola has been among the circuits discussed as a possible alternative, while Portimao and Istanbul have also previously been linked with contingency planning. The uncertainty follows substantial disruption to the 2026 calendar earlier in the year, when the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled because of the regional conflict. Formula 1 later restored one of those lost rounds by relocating the Bahrain Grand Prix to Sepang in Malaysia, which will host the race from October 2-4 while retaining its original event identity. The championship therefore currently sits at 23 scheduled rounds, with Qatar and Abu Dhabi still set to form the final two races following Las Vegas.