Formula 1 must make an important decision in the coming weeks about the possible return of the Saudi Arabian GP to the calendar as early as 2026. The event was canceled following military conflicts in the Middle East, but the category is still evaluating alternatives to recover some of the races lost in the season.
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The championship went on a break after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs, originally scheduled for April. Since then, internal discussions have been ongoing to understand if there is room in the calendar to reschedule one or even both races at the end of the year.
Although there is no official position from the FIA or Liberty Media yet, reports indicate that a decision is near. Besides the possibility of rescheduling the canceled races, Formula 1 is also considering holding consecutive rounds at circuits that are already part of the current calendar.
The logistical issue appears as one of the main challenges for Liberty Media, holder of the commercial rights of the category. Brian Wendling, the company’s accounting director, stated that the current planning is still based on a 22-race calendar: “We are focused on a 22-race calendar,” he said.
Even so, Wendling admitted that there is still hope to fit one of the races later in the season: “We remain hopeful that we can move one of these races to the latter part of the year, and that would be something additional, but at the moment the forecast is for 22 races.”
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Liberty Media CEO Derek Chang also commented on the matter and explained that different scenarios are still being analyzed: “We are evaluating all alternatives and trying to make decisions at the right time, so we have as much advance notice as possible in case we need to make changes and adjustments,” he said.
Stefano Domenicali, CEO of Formula 1, reinforced that an official response will be given ‘in due time’ and highlighted that the category is working with alternative plans in case the international situation improves: “We hope the world returns to a normal situation, not just for the races,” said the executive. He also stressed that any change requires alignment with teams and promoters due to the great operational impact caused by calendar changes.
Among the options discussed internally, one foresees fitting the Bahrain GP between the Azerbaijan and Singapore GPs. Another possibility would be to postpone the end of the season in Abu Dhabi to make room for a race in Bahrain or Jeddah on December 6. There is also the hypothesis of holding two consecutive rounds at the Las Vegas circuit, promoted directly by Formula 1 itself.
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