Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has identified Formula 1’s cost cap as a major concern while uncertainty continues over whether the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will take place at the end of the 2026 season. With the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran creating doubt around the two Middle East events, teams face an important financial and logistical question over how long they can wait before committing resources to the final part of the calendar.
Formula 1 has so far resisted making an early decision. CEO and president Stefano Domenicali has previously indicated that no call will be made before the middle of September, and it has even been suggested that confirmation could be delayed until the beginning of October. Vasseur, however, believes the teams will eventually reach a point where logistical preparations make further postponement impractical.
Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari cost-cap concern over Qatar and Abu Dhabi
The central issue for Ferrari is not initially the management of power unit components across a season that could contain 22 or 23 races. Vasseur dismissed that as the less pressing concern and instead focused on the financial consequences of travelling to Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The Ferrari boss explained that staging two Grands Prix in the Middle East carries an enormous cost for each team. If those races do not take place, money that would otherwise have been committed to travel, freight and running the events could potentially be redirected elsewhere within the cost cap, including towards development.
Vasseur stressed that the situation affects every Formula 1 team rather than Ferrari alone. As a result, knowing the final shape of the season is important not only for sporting planning but also for deciding how available financial resources can be allocated over the closing months of the championship.
The uncertainty is particularly significant because Qatar and Abu Dhabi are currently scheduled as the final two rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. Removing both would therefore alter both the length and the location of the season-ending phase.
Ferrari says logistics could force a decision in September
Vasseur believes logistics may ultimately determine how long Formula 1 can keep its options open. Teams must prepare and dispatch equipment for the Middle East well before the race weekends themselves, meaning there is a practical deadline beyond which uncertainty becomes increasingly difficult to manage.
Speaking to the media, including ScuderiaFans, the Frenchman explained that the teams collectively would need to reach a decision during September because freight kits have to be sent to the Middle East. Once that logistical process reaches its critical point, he does not believe the issue can continue to be postponed.
Vasseur added that resolving the situation around that stage should still leave sufficient time for teams to manage the remaining six or seven races after September.
His comments underline why calendar uncertainty has consequences beyond simply knowing where Formula 1 will race. Teams operate within strict spending limits, and cancelling expensive flyaway events could leave money available that had previously been reserved for those weekends.
Cancelled races could free Ferrari resources for development
From Ferrari’s perspective, the distinction matters because unused race expenditure could potentially be redirected towards other permitted areas. Vasseur specifically identified development as one possible destination for money that would no longer be required to contest Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
That creates an unusual planning problem. Committing funds elsewhere too early would be impossible while the races remain scheduled, but waiting until very late for confirmation could also make it harder to maximise any resources that become available.
Formula 1 appears prepared to give the situation as much time as possible before deciding the fate of two highly lucrative Grands Prix. Domenicali has indicated that an immediate decision is not expected, with the middle of September previously identified as the earliest point for greater clarity.
F1 could finish the season in Europe if Middle East races are cancelled
Domenicali has also addressed what could happen if both Qatar and Abu Dhabi are removed from the schedule. In that scenario, he has indicated that the Formula 1 season would conclude with a European race rather than ending in Las Vegas.
Imola is believed to be the venue that could fill that role. Such an outcome would substantially change the final sequence of the championship, turning what is currently planned as a Middle East conclusion into a European finale.
For now, however, Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain uncertain rather than cancelled. Ferrari and the other teams must therefore continue preparing for both possibilities while Formula 1 assesses the situation in the Middle East.
Ferrari turns attention to its Monza home race
Before those late-season questions require a definitive answer, Fred Vasseur and Ferrari have a much more immediate priority: the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 6 September.
The Scuderia heads to its home circuit for one of the most important weekends of its season, with the full 2026 Italian Grand Prix schedule running from Friday through Sunday. Interest around Ferrari’s home race is particularly high, with Sunday tickets at Monza already sold out.
Beyond the immediate focus on performing in front of the Tifosi, Ferrari will also be watching closely for clarity over the championship’s final rounds. For Vasseur, the question is not simply whether Formula 1 travels to Qatar and Abu Dhabi, but how soon teams know the answer. With significant expenditure and freight planning tied to both events, the eventual decision could influence how Ferrari and its rivals allocate resources through the final months of 2026.
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