F1 funds Imola standby plan as Qatar and Abu Dhabi season finale remains in doubt

Formula 1 has given Imola’s Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari the green light to begin preparations for a potential season finale, with the sport covering all associated costs as it hedges against the possible cancellation of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix due to continued unrest in the Middle East.

Sources within F1 told Autosport that organisers in Imola have been authorised to build grandstands and advance logistical preparations as though the race in Emilia-Romagna is confirmed. Formula One Management is absorbing the full financial risk of those preparations, meaning Imola will face no losses regardless of whether the race ultimately takes place.

Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain plan A, and F1 has been emphatic on that point. But with three triple-headers closing out the calendar after Las Vegas, the sport cannot afford to be caught without an alternative if the regional situation deteriorates sharply in the weeks ahead. Imola represents the only realistic plan B, and the decision to fund its preparation reflects how seriously F1 is treating the contingency.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had initially indicated a decision would be reached by mid-September, but that timeline has since shifted. Several team principals now point to mid-October as the window for clarity, though F1 itself insists there is no fixed deadline. From a purely logistical standpoint, sources say there is limited urgency provided Imola is fully operational by the first weekend of December.

Team principals speaking at Thursday’s press conference in Baku confirmed they have been briefed on the situation and expressed little immediate concern. The financial stakes of the Middle East double-header are significant — both Qatar and Abu Dhabi rank among the most lucrative weekends on the calendar — which partly explains F1’s reluctance to abandon them without exhausting every alternative.

The arrangement is an unusual one: a host venue spending money on infrastructure for a race that may never happen, with the sanctioning body underwriting the entire exercise. It illustrates both the complexity of modern F1 scheduling and the sport’s determination to guarantee a season conclusion in any scenario.