Drivers anticipate a cold December finale if F1 turns to Imola

Formula 1 could hold a single replacement race at Imola if it abandons plans for Qatar and Abu Dhabi, after cancelling its April rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Drivers said a December event in northern Italy would likely bring cold weather and earlier darkness, but Max Verstappen said neither conditions nor taxes should pose a problem.

Formula 1 drivers expect cold conditions if the series moves its final race of the season to Imola, Italy, as a replacement for planned events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. F1 cancelled its two April rounds in the Middle East, which were scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Bahrain event is taking place this weekend, relocated 6,000 kilometres to Sepang, Malaysia. If the series abandons its plans for Qatar and Abu Dhabi, it is expected to arrange one replacement round at Imola.

The circuit last hosted a race in November six years ago, and a possible December finale could take place in much colder weather. Haas driver Oliver Bearman said he had lived near Imola for several years and remembered the winter cold. “I think we should bring the snow chains and the hand warmers,” Bearman said. “Let’s see how it goes, but it will definitely be cold if we’re in Imola in December. I was living close by for a good few years and in winter it’s definitely cold. You know about it.”

Some teams have already tested at Imola this year. Racing Bulls, which is based nearby, is among them. Its driver Arvid Lindblad said conditions would be colder than at the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi, while leaving the decision to Formula 1. “It’ll be a bit colder than Abu Dhabi,” Lindblad said. “In the end we’ll do whatever F1 thinks is best. I know they’re managing it. I don’t know all the ins and outs of what’s happening, but I’ve heard that Imola is the back-up.”

Lindblad said reduced daylight would also be a consideration, though he did not expect it to prevent the cars from running. “It will get a bit darker a bit earlier, but I think there’s still enough hours for us to drive fine, so I don’t think that would be an issue. It’ll just be a bit cold, maybe wet.”

Formula 1 has already raced in Italy once this year. The country recently changed its tax arrangements for elite athletes, but Max Verstappen said neither the tax rules nor winter weather should create a difficulty for drivers. “There are worse places to be in the wintertime than in Imola,” Verstappen said. “Yes, it’s a little bit colder than in the summer, it gets darker a bit sooner, but I think we’re all clever enough to make sure that we don’t drive in the dark.” He added: “And there is no tax issue. You just have to pay tax.”

Imola hosted the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from 2020 through 2025, with one exception: the 2023 race was cancelled because of flooding. The series has not confirmed a replacement event at the track; Imola remains the expected option if F1 drops its plans for Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

The report was written by Keith Collantine and published on Oct. 1, 2026, at 11:36 a.m., with an update at 11:40 a.m. RaceFans invited readers to become supporters to go ad-free. Collantine, a lifelong motor sport fan, founded RaceFans in 2005, when it was called F1 Fanatic, and began running the site full-time in 2010 after working as a motoring journalist, fulfilling his ambition to focus entirely on motor racing.

Based on reporting by RaceFans.