Imola has been officially informed that it will not be required as a back-up for Formula One’s season-ending double-header, as the sport is now expected to conclude its 2026 championship in Qatar and Abu Dhabi as planned.

Imola had been lined up as a fallback option to replace Abu Dhabi on December 6 in the event that Formula One took the decision not to travel to the Middle East because of the danger of going there.

However, F1 has been insisting for weeks that it was not intending to alter its plans, and that the advice it has received from its partners in the Middle East and from the UK Government in particular, was that it remained safe to travel, meaning travel insurance remained valid. Cancelling in such a scenario could have meant forfeiting a lot of money in race fees.

Recent events have helped to strengthen F1’s resolve, including the results of last week’s US mid-term elections, which made clear how unpopular the US-Iran conflict was in the States.

MotoGP also completed a round at the Lusail circuit in Qatar last weekend without any issues, while the DP World Tour held a tournament on Yas Island.

F1 says business has returned to a “normal level” in both countries and that F1’s 11 teams are all supportive of the decision.

The decision to call time on Imola now was because F1 did not want to leave it hanging indefinitely. A spokesman for F1 said the sport was “very grateful for the support and collaboration with the promoter and government in Imola and the region”.

Both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were postponed earlier this year, with Bahrain’s race eventually rescheduled for September but in Sepang, Malaysia.

Formula One stressed that if the situation changed in the coming weeks, then the sport would “not hesitate to do the right thing and the safety of everyone will always be the priority”. In that case, the season would end after Las Vegas on Saturday, November 21.

Both championships have already been decided. Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes have claimed the drivers’ and constructors’ titles respectively over the last couple of race weekends.

An intriguing battle is developing for second place in the drivers’ championship, however, with second-placed Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and sixth-placed Lando Norris (McLaren) separated by 33 points. George Russell (Mercedes) and the two Ferrari drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, are all in that chasing pack.