Formula One in 2026 has hit the buffers. After years of monumental growth in the sport’s hospitality, viewing figures are collapsing in Europe due to fans disillusionment with the all new engines. Further conflict in the middle east has seen the cancelation of the Bahrain and Saudi Grand Prix.
This left F1 fans with a five week unexpected break in the racing calendar before it resumes in Miami the first weekend of May. But now the ambassador for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, former race driver Robert Doornbos, believes the cancelled weekend in Saudi can be now be rescheduled.
Devising the Formula One’s calendar is a complex matter which must take into account the prevailing weather conditions across the regions at various times during the year. The iconic Grand Prix in Suzuka was for many years a late autumn event and even the season finale.
The complexity of the F1 calendar
It was moved to be part of the pacific rim early season flyaway races as the FIA sought to trim the excessive travel back and to across the world, although it did have the benefit of avoiding the typhoon season which hit the Japan GP regularly in its original slot.
The European races are generally held from late April or May into September, due to the colder climate earlier and later in the year. Even the British Grand Prix which was forever held on the second Sunday of July has been forced to bend to the all new F1 calendar, although this year it will be held juts a week earlier than its traditional slot.
With the rise of races in the middle east, totalling now four, the climate is a crucial aspect in deciding their slot on the F1 schedule. Temperatures from May to even mid-October can be sweltering, forcing the events to be held at the start and towards the end of the year.
Having been forced in 2024 to move the Bahrain and Saudi Grand Prix to a Saturday due to a Ramadan clash in March, the new F1 calendar now sees the races held after the three Asian flyaways in Australia, China and Japan. April is as late at the start of the season where these events can be held, given the temperatures soar in the following months and it clashes with the start of F1 heartland Europe weekends.
October brutal temperatures in the Middle East
There was initial hope the Bahrain and Saudi events could be reinstated in slots available at the end of the European season, with the third weekend of September identified as one possibility between Singapore and the USA Grand Prix.
However, lessons have been learned from the 2023 season when the second of there Qatar events was slated for October 9th. Yet the ambient temperatures fairly normal for this time of the year were in excess of 31°C (88°F) and this combined with extreme humid levels meant cockpit temperatures were recorded in excess of 50°C (122°F).
Many of the drivers reported the event to be the most physically “brutal” race they had ever experienced and despite them being amongst the fittest athletes in the world, a number of them were pushed to the point of medical emergency.
Esteban Ocon revealed after the race that he’d vomited inside his helmet on lap 15 due to the heat, yet the hardy French driver managed to finish the race in 7th. It was all too much for Floridian driver Logan Sargeant, who was forced to retire his Williams car on lap 40 due to intense heatstroke and dehydration. He required assistance to exit the car.
F1 finale: Six races in seven weekends
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll reported that he was “fainting” and “passing out” in the high-speed corners. Footage showed him stumbling toward an ambulance immediately after climbing out of the car. Alex Albon to as taken to the medical center for acute heat exhaustion after the race.
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association spokesperson George Russell said the situation was “beyond the limit of what is acceptable,” stating he too felt like he was going to pass out multiple times.
Since then the Qatari weekend has been moved to the penultimate event of the season, right before the curtain falls in Abu Dhabi. With 24 races now on the calendar this means they final two races of the year in the middle east fall late November and/or early December.
Another issue for the FIA looking to reschedule the cancelled races is the fact F1 has now implemented three triple head race weekends as the climax to the year. This season the US Grand Prix will take place on 25th of October, with Mexico and Brazil following on consecutive weekends.
Aramco pushing to move Abu Dhabi GP
The teams and drivers then get a single weekend off before they hit another triple header of Las Vegas, Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 6. Yet Robert Doornbos believes should the Abu Dhabi organisers agree to postpone their race by one weekend, the Saudi Grand Prix can be slotted in after Qatar.
“We know Aramco as the sponsor of Formula 1. They are promoting the event in Jeddah enormously, because that is their gem. Jeddah could yet come back to the calendar this year,” he tells Ziggo Sports.
He suggests Aramco are pressing for their Saudi race to be reinstated, in the original slot made for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The problem with this is that Formula One events are no longer just a weekend of racing, they include global superstar artists who host concerts across the F1 weekends.
Global artists booked, tickets sold, travel arrangements already made
One of the biggest impacts of moving the Abu Dhabi event would be on the Yasalam after-race concerts, which are a central part of the event’s identity. Currently confirmed are headline performances from Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson, both set to take to the stage on the opening night.
The global tours of international artists are locked down months and even years in advance, with huge logistical considerations to be made across multiple continents. Further, the current popularity of F1 means the majority of fans often buy their tickets up to a year in advance and make travel arrangements and book hotels.
Whilst Aramco is a powerful voice in Formula One, this last ditch manoeuvre to rescue the Jeddha event will cause chaos and create a large number of vocal and disgruntled F1 fans.
NEXT ARTICLE: Formula 1 engines: FIA two-stage fix with no hardware intervention
Amid mounting concerns over the performance of the new 2026 power units, the FIA is stepping up efforts to address early-season issues without abandoning the core philosophy behind the regulations.
Ahead of another round of talks with teams and manufacturers, Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater director, has outlined a measured, two-phase approach to improving energy management before the championship heads to the Miami Grand Prix:
Key points
- FIA working with teams to fix 2026 engine issues before the Miami Grand Prix
- No major overhaul: 50% electric power concept stays
- Nikolas Tombazis confirms no hardware changes
- Fixes will come via software and energy management rules
- Two-phase plan: immediate tweaks + later refinements
- Aim: let drivers push harder, manage less energy
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
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