Formula 1 has a cut-off date next week to let Italian circuit Imola know whether it is needed to replace two Middle East races as the 2026 season finale, sources told ESPN.

As it stands, Formula 1 will finish the year with a triple header of races in Las Vegas (Nov. 21), Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6).

Those final two races are uncertain, given the U.S-Iran war and ongoing tensions in the region.

Imola is on stand-by to hold a race on Dec. 6 if hostilities in the Middle East escalate in the next few weeks and those last two events need to be cancelled, but the circuit has to know whether the event is taking place in the near future.

Teams ESPN have spoken to are working to an assumption that a decision will be made on Imola next week.

Asked about the situation after Friday practice in Brazil, Haas boss Aayo Komatsu appeared to confirm a deadline.

"I understand Tuesday [Nov. 10] Imola needs be told if we go to Imola or not," Komatsu told Sky Sports on Friday in Brazil.

Imola has already started work on constructing grandstands, with F1 footing the bill.

Sources within F1 have downplayed the idea to ESPN of a fixed date for a decision, as extensions can be given to Imola if F1 feel one is required, but it is clear Imola and the teams need to know before they go to Las Vegas whether that contingency plan still exists.

Sources have told ESPN that the date Komatsu said is broadly accurate and it seems unlikely a decision on Imola will be made much later than the end of next week.

Once the cut-off date is passed, Formula 1 is then in uncharted territory without a back-up option.

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Should there be an escalation in hostilities after Imola has stopped preparing to host a race, it would be likely that F1's season ends with the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Contractually, that hypothetical would nudge F1 into a tricky position, as the commercial deal it has with the sport's 11 teams says the calendar cannot drop below 22 races -- the cancellation of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, with no Imola race back-up, would make the final number 21.

Formula 1 appears to be confident there will not be a big issue in that scenario given the hosting fee paid by the Bahrain Grand Prix to rearrange their race in Malaysia in October.

The sport still intends to race in the Middle East and has been in constant communication with governments in both countries to monitor the situation. The Qatar circuit that is set to be used by F1 next month hosts MotoGP this weekend.

A majority of MotoGP's riders signed a letter ahead of the event expressing their wish not to race, but the championship threatened any riders who boycotted with sporting penalties.

Yamaha has pulled out of the event having found no reason to change its travel policy towards the Middle East. When asked about the MotoGP situation, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he would be fine with F1 adopting a similar approach.

"Stefano [Domenicali, F1 boss] and Mohammed [Ben Sulayem, FIA president] have been pretty clear about the situation that Formula 1 follows what the international guidelines are, whether there are travel restrictions, airlines not flying, any warnings in the region, the kind of feedback that local governments are making," Wolff said. "So not only the promoters, but what the local governments are making. And this is what you need to rely on, in my opinion, and I'm fully with that.

"I think that if [MotoGP] riders stand up, who know nothing geopolitically about what's going on, but have an audience that listens, I think that is something that creates media value. But I would have done the same as MotoGP management has done. You want to ride or drive, go. If you don't want to, don't go. It's as simple as that, and everybody can take their personal decisions on that, and I respect that.

"Of course, you've got to be wary of what's happening in the next few days, few weeks, and Stefano has his finger on the pulse to monitor that. If things were to get more dangerous and we would get that feedback, then he's going to be the first one, together with Mohammed, to protect the people that were meant to travel. So that's why I'm following their guidance."

When Wolff was asked what his policy would be on Mercedes team members expressing a desire to miss the Middle East races, he downplayed how concerned his staff are about going.

"From what I'm hearing internally, it hasn't been raised," he added. "It hasn't been a topic. But also there, if someone feels they don't feel comfortable, he or she doesn't feel comfortable travelling, then it's something that I would always respect. And maybe that's an opportunity to give somebody else a chance. It wouldn't change anything for the relationship. I've always respected that some people didn't want to go to certain Grands Prix, and that's how I see it at the moment."