News Summary

While the Formula 1 paddock sets up at Interlagos, equipment for the final two races is already moving towards the Gulf. One set used in Baku is heading for Lusail, according to a team source cited by GPblog. Another, used when the Bahrain Grand Prix was held at Sepang, is destined for Abu Dhabi.

At the same time, Formula 1 has briefed all 11 teams on what would happen if they had to leave either event at short notice.

What is already on the move

The equipment already assigned to the Gulf is one part of a wider freight operation. Teams keep several sets of equipment in circulation so they can prepare for races on different continents without waiting for every item to arrive from the preceding venue.

At the Spanish Grand Prix in September, McLaren’s Andrea Stella and chief operating officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi were among the team’s senior figures, but it was McLaren team principal Andrea Stella’s counterpart on the FIA panel, sporting director Alan Permane, who drew the distinction between the two freight streams: sea freight would be in place or on its way well in advance, while the air freight would travel directly from Las Vegas if the Qatar round went ahead.

“We’re going to Qatar and Abu Dhabi,” Audi racing director Allan McNish told reporters after the Mexico City Grand Prix. Audi was still arranging travel and logistics for both rounds and would respond if the calendar changed.

“All our logistics are en route,” McNish added. “So we don’t have a deadline. It’s a deadline of the championship.”

F1 2026, AUDI, ALLAN MCNISH
Allan McNish (Photo: Audi)

What F1 has told teams about an emergency departure

Formula 1 told ESPN that it prepares evacuation plans for every Grand Prix and had walked the teams through scenarios in which personnel might have to leave Qatar or Abu Dhabi quickly. The briefing concerned what would happen if conditions deteriorated during a race weekend. Details such as departure routes and transport arrangements have not been made public in the reporting reviewed.

The questions inside the teams extend beyond moving equipment. Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack said staff and their families were asking for reassurance. The concerns follow reports that an Iranian news agency had listed hotels used by F1 and MotoGP teams as potential targets in the event of further US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

“People read this, and then the first thing you do, you check: ‘Is my hotel on that list?’” Krack said.

How late could F1 switch to Imola?

The planned Middle East finale still has Qatar at Lusail on November 27–29 and Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina on December 4–6. At the FIA press conference in Mexico City, Williams team principal James Vowles said F1 and the FIA “have been very good at providing us updates, and they have a Plan B and Plan C.”

Imola could stage a single replacement race on December 6 if both Gulf rounds are dropped. Teams have reportedly made provisional hotel bookings around the circuit. GPblog also reports that local organisers were cleared to prepare temporary grandstands and that F1 agreed to cover the cost if the circuit was not needed.

November 10 was initially reported as the deadline for approving the switch. More recent reporting points to different estimates of how much notice organisers would need, and ESPN reported that F1 believes a later switch may still be possible. If both Gulf races were cancelled and no replacement went ahead, the season would end in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 21, local time, already Sunday, November 22 in the UK.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix live from Interlagos. Follow our on-site coverage in Formula 1.