Formula One is considering restoring one of the two cancelled Middle East races this season, according to president Stefano Domenicali.
The Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled for the weekend of April 12, and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, set to follow the week after, were cancelled due to the war in Middle East earlier in the year.
Domenicali is hopeful about having at least one of the races later in the year.
“If there is something that we can announce also related to the possibility of seeing if there is any space for what has not been done so far, we're going to do it, in the right moment and the right conditions,” Domenicali told Sky Sports F1.
“That is really the hope, because if all the conditions are right, we're going to go ahead with our plan. If there is a chance, why not?”
The report added that Bahrain GP could be held in the beginning of October, in between races in Azerbaijan and Singapore.
Domenicali also stated that it was also important to try to retain the calendar as much as possible and give confidence to all stakeholders and fans.
“Our duty is to make sure we are ready to run our calendar as it is planned,” Domenicali added.
“It would be an incredibly positive message for sport, and also politically, that we are moving in this direction, because if this is happening, it is something we can say is behind us.”
Earlier, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix organisers Ethara told The National that the season-ending race will “100 per cent” remain scheduled for the weekend of December 3-6.
There were speculations over changes in the calendar to accommodate the lost races but David Powell, chief portfolio & strategy officer at Ethara, insisted the Abu Dhabi GP will not be impacted.
“The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dates are December 3-6 and they're not going to change,” Powell told The National. “They were never going to change.
“And there's a good reason for that. You must leave enough time between the end of the season and the new season to give F1 teams time to rebuild their cars, to do testing, to have them ready to go for the first race of the season in 2027. So, the season can only end that first week of December. It can't push back any further.
