Imola could host 2026 F1 finale if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled
Archive photograph: Kimi Antonelli · 2025-10-17Archive photo · 2025-10-17 · Kuyper · CC BY-SA 4.0
Motorsport.com reports that Imola is being prepared as a fallback for the 2026 finale if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled. Under the proposed five-race schedule, Kimi Antonelli could clinch the title in Austin.
Motorsport.com reports that Imola is being prepared as a contingency venue for the 2026 F1 finale amid escalating security threats in the Middle East. If the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix are officially cancelled, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix would be held at Imola on 6 December, the date originally reserved for Abu Dhabi’s season finale. The circuit has been on standby for months, with temporary grandstand construction under way.
The proposed replacement of Qatar and Abu Dhabi with a single Imola round would reduce the six Grands Prix remaining after Singapore to five. Kimi Antonelli leads Mercedes team-mate George Russell 340 points to 238, a 102-point margin. Motorsport.com calculates that the maximum points still available would fall from 150 to 125 and that, in this five-race scenario, a win in Austin would secure Antonelli the title.
Sources 01
- SOURCEKimi Antonelli’s title hopes boosted by proposed F1 calendar overhaulMotorsport.com F1
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