According to reports, the Formula 1 leadership has completed a preliminary selection of European circuits that could be included in the 2027 season calendar as insurance against the scenario of races being cancelled in the Middle East. As follows from the published information (sport.rbc.ua), the organizers have already locked in three backup European tracks in advance, so that in the event of force majeure the total number of rounds will not be reduced and the championship logistics will not have to be restructured.
European backup options
The key goal of the chosen approach is to preserve the density and geographic logic of the 2027 calendar, which was officially announced shortly before. Rather than risk "gaps" in the schedule, the series' governing bodies have prepared an alternative on the continent: three European circuits ready to take over the rounds if the Middle Eastern races do not take place. The specific names of the tracks are not disclosed in the available text, however, the very fact of an approved reserve list indicates that the issue of security in the region is being treated as a real, rather than a hypothetical, risk.
Middle Eastern rounds under threat
At risk are both the traditionally season-opening races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and the championship-closing rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. It is precisely these four weekends that form the "frame" of the season — its start and finale — so their possible loss hits the calendar structure harder than the loss of intermediate races. Hence the logic of replacing them with European tracks: they allow both the opening and closing blocks of the championship to be preserved without a radical overhaul.
The fate of the 2026 season finale
Separately, the fate of the final races of the current championship in Lusail (Qatar) and Abu Dhabi (UAE) has not been clarified. If the conflict in the region continues, the 2026 racing season may end early — on 21 November at the Las Vegas round. Thus, the uncertainty concerns not only the future 2027 calendar but also the finale of the current season, which increases the significance of the pre-prepared European reserves.
Contradictory data
The available materials contain a discrepancy that is important to point out. The source headline states that three European circuits have been "named," yet the text itself does not provide their specific names — it refers only to "three European tracks" without listing them. Moreover, the cancellation of the Middle Eastern rounds is described as a conditional scenario, dependent on the development of the security situation, rather than as a confirmed decision. As of 18 September 2026, none of the Middle Eastern rounds has been officially removed from the calendar, and the European tracks are mentioned precisely as a backup option. Until an authoritative list of specific circuits is published and the status of the Middle Eastern races is officially confirmed, some details remain unverified.
