Formula 1 eyes Portimão as backup venue amid Middle‑East race cancellations

The 2026 Formula 1 calendar has been disrupted by the Iran‑related conflict, which led to the removal of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix scheduled for April. The season‑ending races in Qatar (29 Nov) and Abu Dhabi (6 Dec) also face uncertainty.

The sport’s governing body is preparing a contingency plan that would shift one or both of the threatened events to the Algarve circuit at Portimão, Portugal – a track that previously served as an emergency host in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID‑19 pandemic and is slated to return permanently in 2027‑2028.

Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports that the organisation will act “if all conditions are met” and aims to decide before the summer break, with a favored option to reschedule the Bahrain Grand Prix for the first weekend of October, between the Azerbaijan and Singapore rounds.