F2 wants and expects Middle East races to go ahead, says CEO

LONDON – Kimi Antonelli could be the 2026 Formula 1 champion before the sport makes any definitive decision on racing the final two rounds of the season in the Middle East, but Formula 2 does not want to discover its drivers’ title has also been decided ahead of time.

Brazilian Rafael Camara, whose move to F1 with Haas was confirmed on Oct 15, is seven points clear of Bulgarian Red Bull prospect Nikola Tsolov in the F1 feeder series with Qatar and Abu Dhabi in late November and early December the only rounds remaining.

Both grands prix have been the subject of speculation since the start of the Iran war, and drone and rocket attacks on Gulf capitals and infrastructure, although the official line is that they remain on the calendar as scheduled, unless events force a change.

A mid-September deadline for a decision has now morphed into the likelihood of an announcement only if they have to be cancelled. For F2, the title risks having been decided in Baku in September.

F2 chief executive Bruno Michel told reporters in a video call that such an outcome would be a big blow but he remained confident both would go ahead.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen. It’s not going to happen,” he said of a cancellation.

“Saying ‘by the way, the champion has been declared months ago but we couldn’t crown him’ would not be very good. So yes, we absolutely want to finish the championship as it is planned.”

While Italy’s Imola circuit would be ready to step in as the likely Plan B on Dec 6, offering Mercedes’ 20-year-old Italian driver Antonelli a triumphant home finale after a dominant season, both Middle Eastern rounds are preparing as usual.

“It’s happening. It’s been planned. Nothing has changed. We’re very excited,” Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, CEO of Abu Dhabi promoter Ethara, told the Gulf News daily this week.

“We’re very much ready and, yeah, it’s going to be hopefully another record-breaking year for us.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia in October that “the calendar is confirmed: the last two grands prix will be in Qatar and Abu Dhabi” but senior people within the F1 paddock have also pointed to the regional situation being fluid.

The Bahrain and Saudi Grands Prix were shelved in March due to conflict in the region, with Bahrain’s race brought back at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit in a slot between Azerbaijan and Singapore.

Qatar and Abu Dhabi are two of the most lucrative in terms of hosting fees for F1’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media.

“Formula 1 is completely aware of all the situations and what needs to be done to make sure we exercise (carry out) those two races in the best conditions, which will be the case,” said Michel.

“We are really looking forward to having those last two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.” REUTERS