If the new F1 calendar goes ahead, Kimi Antonelli could pull off an amazing achievement that hasn’t happened since 1950!
Formula 1 leaders are thinking about a decision that might shake up this year’s Drivers’ Championship, according to a recent report.
Right now, the 2026 F1 calendar has 22 races planned, but Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled because of the conflict in the Middle East. People hoped Bahrain would be added back after a ceasefire between the US and Iran, but sadly, the conflict has started again.
Earlier this week, The Race said a decision about Bahrain’s future would come at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting this weekend, just before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Also, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is reportedly a “top choice” to return to the calendar for the first time since 2017. This new race would probably take place between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grand Prix in early October.
Now, there’s a new idea: Imola might host a Grand Prix at the end of the 2026 season. It wasn’t on the original calendar, but the Mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, said in March the track is “ready” to step in if needed. He told Motorsport.com Italy, “We’re waiting calmly. We hope the war ends, but if necessary, F1 knows we’re ready to organize an event.”
Even more interesting, Imola could replace Abu Dhabi as the final race, since there are doubts about holding Abu Dhabi or Qatar’s race. Abu Dhabi has been the season finale every year since 2013, but fans didn’t like how hard it was to overtake there. Over the years, changes to the track have made it easier to pass other cars.
A Reddit user shared stats showing overtakes jumped from 28.5 before 2021 to 74.5 after the track changes. Imola had over 40 overtakes in 2025, helped by a safety car, compared to 30 in 2024.
Between 1981 and 2006, the Imola race was called the San Marino Grand Prix because Italy already had a Grand Prix, but the track is actually in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. So it’s a home race for Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who’s leading the Drivers’ Championship right now.
If the championship comes down to the last race at Imola, Antonelli could become only the second driver in F1 history to win the title at their home Grand Prix. The first was Italy’s Giuseppe Farina, who won the very first F1 championship in 1950.
Antonelli is 45 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton after winning the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend. Starting with the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, there are 12 races left in the season for now – but that number might change.