USA-Iran peace could bring the F1 calendar to 23 GPs
The agreement between the United States and Iran to stop attacks in the Persian Gulf could give F1 a couple of chances regarding the 2026 calendar. Of course, the situation is still – as is often said in these cases – fluid and despite the ceasefire announcement, there have been further skirmishes. However, it is clear that if the situation were to stabilize definitively, there would be conditions to try to recover at least one of the two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia postponed to April, bringing the championship back to 23 GPs. This is at least the intention of Liberty Media, with the president and CEO of Formula One Group, Stefano Domenicali, who spoke about it live with Sky UK journalists in the Silverstone paddock.
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When the Bahrain GP can be rescheduled
Domenicali’s idea would indeed be to reschedule the Bahrain GP in the only real free slot available, which is between the Baku and Singapore races: the target is therefore the possibility of restoring one of the two GPs missed in spring – and the choice should fall precisely on the Sakhir track, which is a permanent circuit and therefore more immediately ready to organize a World Championship race with relatively short notice – on the weekend of October 4, creating an acceptable triple GP from a logistical point of view. The paddock would indeed travel to Bahrain from Baku (where, moreover, the race is held on Saturday to respect an Azerbaijani national holiday) and then race at Marina Bay the following weekend.
F1 calendar, Domenicali speaks
All this, however, must be finalized before the summer break and therefore announced no later than the weekend of the 2026 Hungarian GP, scheduled for July 26 in Budapest: it will therefore be necessary for the scenario in the Persian Gulf to stabilize quickly to proceed with this plan. “If there is something we can announce – Domenicali explains to Sky UK – also regarding the possibility of checking if there is room for what has not been done so far, we will do it, at the right time and under the right conditions. This is really our hope, because if all conditions are favorable, we will carry out our plan. If there is a possibility, why shouldn’t we seize it?”.
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“I think that, to seize the possible opportunity to hold one of the races we have not yet held – he adds – we will have to do it before the summer break. Our duty is to ensure we are ready to carry on with our calendar as planned. And we are monitoring the situation because it would be an incredibly positive message for the sport, and also politically, that we are moving in this direction. If we were to race in the Middle East, we could say that everything that happened is now behind us”.
The “Plan B” of Portimao fades away
At the same time, the end of the conflict between the USA, Israel, and Iran should ensure the possibility of closing the season, as expected, between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The two final GPs of the 2026 World Championship are scheduled for the weekends of November 29 and December 6, but it is known that Formula 1 was moving for possible alternatives – Stefano Domenicali had admitted to having “a Plan B ready” – possibly involving the Portimao circuit, which will return to the F1 calendar in the coming seasons and which would allow, climatically, the organization of a race in late autumn: an option that would obviously fade if the World Championship could safely conclude by sticking to “Plan A”, which is to proceed with the races in Lusail and Abu Dhabi.
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