As Motorsport.com reports, Formula 2 CEO Bruno Michel has firmly pushed back against suggestions that the 2026 season could be cut short because of the Iran war, insisting that the final rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will happen as planned. The conflict, triggered by United States and Israel strikes in late February, has destabilized the Middle East and already forced F2 to replace its Bahrain and Saudi rounds with races in Miami and Montreal alongside Formula 1.
While F1 and race organizers want to run the events, a contingency plan exists with Imola ready to step in on the first weekend of December if needed. F2 also added an extra race to its Baku schedule in late September, matching Formula 3's move in Madrid after losing Bahrain, though Michel maintains the original calendar stands. "For the moment – and I think it's completely clear – Qatar and Abu Dhabi are on the calendar, and we are going to finish the championship in Qatar and in Abu Dhabi," Michel stated.
Uncertainty had grown after a comment from Colton Herta in Baku, where the American admitted he was unsure if there were more races left in the season. When confronted with that remark, Michel brushed it aside: "You know, the drivers always have an opinion on a lot of things. But I tell you now, we want to finish the season there for sure."
Michel was also pressed on whether standings leader Rafael Camara could accidentally be crowned champion retroactively if the season ended early. Rejecting that possibility, Michel called such an outcome "very sad" and added that it simply "is not going to happen" because the series intends to finish the championship on track.
At the top of the standings, new Haas signing Rafael Camara leads the championship with 207 points. Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov sits behind him with 200 points, while Alpine protege Alex Dunne holds 189 points. If the season ends prematurely, only that trio would have a shot at the title, whereas Gabriele Mini, Dino Beganovic, and Noel Leon will also have an outside chance if Qatar and Abu Dhabi go ahead as scheduled.
