Imola set to replace Abu Dhabi finale as Antonelli closes in on F1 title

Formula 1 is preparing to replace the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix with a season-ending Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on 6 December, after escalating security threats across the Middle East — including reported consecutive bombings at Riyadh airport — forced the sport’s governing body to activate a European contingency plan.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali had previously expressed a preference for finishing the 2026 season in the Middle East, but the deteriorating geopolitical situation has overridden that intention. Imola has been held in reserve for months as a fail-safe, with preparatory infrastructure work — including the construction of temporary grandstands at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari — already quietly under way.

The proposed change carries significant championship consequences. Under the original schedule, six grands prix remained after Singapore, leaving a maximum of 150 points available. Replacing both Qatar and Abu Dhabi with a single race at Imola reduces that ceiling to 125 points.

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli currently leads the 2026 drivers’ standings with 340 points, 102 ahead of team-mate George Russell, who sits second on 238. With the points pool shrinking, Antonelli’s lead becomes mathematically near-impossible to close. Barring a catastrophic run of retirements across the Americas triple-header — the United States, Mexico, and Brazil Grands Prix — Antonelli is on course to wrap up the title before the season even reaches Europe.

A win at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin would, under the shortened calendar, put Antonelli within touching distance of the championship with races still to spare.

The formal confirmation of the calendar change is still pending, but with preparatory work at Imola already in progress, the sport appears to be treating the switch as a matter of when rather than if.