Gulf News: Dubai: Abu Dhabi GP ambassador, Robert Doornboshas, indicated that the recently called-off Middle Eastern Formula 1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia could still be rearranged and held later this year.

The Bahrain GP was scheduled for April 12, with the Saudi Arabian race set for April 19, but both events were cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Iran.

This has left F1 with an extended five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the following round in Miami on May 3.

As a result of the two cancellations, the 2026 season now features 22 Grands Prix instead of the originally planned 24, with it previously being announced that the cancelled events won’t be rescheduled… for April.

Doornboshas, former F1 driver and Abu Dhabi GP ambassador recently said that the Saudi GP could take place later on in the year though, suggesting the race could happen on December 6, with the Abu Dhabi GP moving back to December 13.

"I heard something else," he told Ziggo Sport’s De Stamtafel programme.

"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.”

Aramco, also known as Saudi Aramco, is a state majority-owned oil and gas company that supports a range of major sporting properties, including F1, and also partners with organisations such as FIFA and the ICC.

"They now say that they are moving Abu Dhabi by a week and that they are slotting Jeddah in between," he added.

"That means you finish the season with four races in a row – Las Vegas, Qatar, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi."

How would the Abu Dhabi GP be impacted if the event is rescheduled?
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit is currently confirmed to run from Thursday 3 December to Sunday 6 December, maintaining its traditional role as the season-ending round of the F1 calendar.

However, with the possibility of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix being reinstated and added back into the 2026 schedule, there is a scenario in which Abu Dhabi’s race weekend could be pushed back to Sunday 13 December to accommodate calendar restructuring while preserving the season finale slot.

If that adjustment were to happen, it would have major implications for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix beyond just the racing. One of the biggest impacts would be on the Yasalam after-race concerts, which are a central part of the event’s identity.

For the originally scheduled December 3–6 weekend, organisers have already confirmed headline performances including Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson, both set to take to the stage on the opening night.

A date shift to December 13 would immediately create logistical complications around these performances. Touring schedules for global artists like Capaldi and Larsson are typically locked in months in advance, often coordinated across multiple continents with fixed travel, production, and rehearsal windows.

There would also be wider ripple effects across hospitality and tourism. Hotels in Abu Dhabi, transport providers, and VIP hospitality packages are all sold and coordinated around the original December weekend. Moving the event would require renegotiation of bookings at scale, with thousands of international fans potentially needing to adjust travel plans.

What about a Bahrain replacement?
Whilst Doornbos also hinted at a rescheduled event for the Bahrain GP, if rescheduling had to be prioritised, the Saudi GP would likely take precedence over Bahrain for a few practical reasons.

Saudi Arabia has a much larger commercial and strategic footprint in global sport, particularly through its long-term investment in F1 and wider motorsport expansion. That makes it more commercially significant for the sport’s growth plans and broadcast value.

It also has a broader push to use major events as part of its national sporting strategy, so there is often stronger institutional backing to protect or rework key events if disruption occurs.

Bahrain remains extremely important as a long-standing season opener, but it functions more as a stable “anchor” race, meaning moving it is usually more structurally difficult than relocating a later, more flexible round.