DUBAI, 11 June (Emirates News Agency) - The UAE’s prominence on the global motorsport stage has been underlined for another year with confirmation of the FIA’s major world championship calendars for 2026.
The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place at Yas Marina Circuit from 4th to 6th December next year in a championship, which will see the next generation of F1 cars running on 100 percent sustainable fuels.
This was confirmed at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau on Tuesday, which was chaired by FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem as the Federation’s global community gathered for the FIA’s annual conference.
The 2026 FI World Championship again includes three other Middle East rounds, in Bahrain from 10th to 12th April, Saudi Arabia from 17th to 19th April and Qatar from 27th to 29th November.
Saudi again stages back-to-back Jeddah races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar on 13th to 14th February, while the Middle East also has four rounds in the 2026 F2 Championship coinciding with the F1 races in Bahrain, Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Once again, the Dakar Rally in Saudi commences next year’s FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from 3rd to 17th January, with the Rally du Maroc taking place from 28th September to 3rd October. Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will be held on 22nd to 27th November. Bahrain represents the Middle East in the ten-round F3 calendar.
FIA President Ben Sulayem said, “2025 is proving to be an exciting year across all our championships with technological milestones being reached, new talent emerging, and battles being fought on the track and across stages each week.”
The WRC27 ruleset has been undergoing its final refinements and updates over the past six months, and confirmation in Macau of the reference volumes for bodywork cements the commitment set out by the FIA to put flexibility at the core of these regulations.
To achieve this, the rules define a zone in which all the bodywork panels must be located, but within this volume, manufacturers and constructors have the freedom to scale and integrate almost any design.
This means that, without effecting performance, cars ranging from saloons to hatchbacks, cross-overs and completely bespoke designs could be entered over the ten-year regulation cycle through to 2037.
The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place at Yas Marina Circuit from 4th to 6th December next year in a championship, which will see the next generation of F1 cars running on 100 percent sustainable fuels.
This was confirmed at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau on Tuesday, which was chaired by FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem as the Federation’s global community gathered for the FIA’s annual conference.
The 2026 FI World Championship again includes three other Middle East rounds, in Bahrain from 10th to 12th April, Saudi Arabia from 17th to 19th April and Qatar from 27th to 29th November.
Saudi again stages back-to-back Jeddah races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar on 13th to 14th February, while the Middle East also has four rounds in the 2026 F2 Championship coinciding with the F1 races in Bahrain, Saudi, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Once again, the Dakar Rally in Saudi commences next year’s FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from 3rd to 17th January, with the Rally du Maroc taking place from 28th September to 3rd October. Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will be held on 22nd to 27th November. Bahrain represents the Middle East in the ten-round F3 calendar.
FIA President Ben Sulayem said, “2025 is proving to be an exciting year across all our championships with technological milestones being reached, new talent emerging, and battles being fought on the track and across stages each week.”
The WRC27 ruleset has been undergoing its final refinements and updates over the past six months, and confirmation in Macau of the reference volumes for bodywork cements the commitment set out by the FIA to put flexibility at the core of these regulations.
To achieve this, the rules define a zone in which all the bodywork panels must be located, but within this volume, manufacturers and constructors have the freedom to scale and integrate almost any design.
This means that, without effecting performance, cars ranging from saloons to hatchbacks, cross-overs and completely bespoke designs could be entered over the ten-year regulation cycle through to 2037.
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