Abu Dhabi GP promoter says 2026 finale remains on schedule for 6 December

Ethara chief executive Saif Rashid Al Noaimi says the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix remains scheduled for 6 December at Yas Marina Circuit, where construction is already under way.

Speaking to Dubai Eye 103.8, Al Noaimi said the finale had always been planned for the venue. He said 40,000 people are accredited to deliver the event; he also cited 1,500 volunteers, 90% of them UAE nationals, and more than 220 supplier companies.

The assurance comes as questions continue over Formula 1’s final two rounds—Qatar followed by Abu Dhabi—amid the regional security crisis. Saudi Arabia has faced repeated Houthi attacks in recent weeks, including strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran. The Saudi-led coalition reported 20 separate attacks on Riyadh airport alone in the first two weeks of October. Qatar, the round before Abu Dhabi, lies just over 150 kilometres from areas of Saudi Arabia that have been hit.

Formula 1 has maintained that the season will finish in Qatar and Abu Dhabi as planned. A reported contingency would turn to Imola if the Middle Eastern rounds cannot take place: temporary grandstands have been authorised there, and the fallback would stage a single replacement race on 6 December, dropping one round from the calendar.