Hamilton backs Qatar and Abu Dhabi races as F1 finale remains uncertain

Lewis Hamilton has said he wants Formula One's scheduled races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to go ahead, while acknowledging that he does not have the information needed to assess the risks. The Ferrari driver was speaking ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as uncertainty continues over the end of the season because of the war in the Middle East, The Guardian reported.

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Hamilton said he enjoys visiting the region and hopes the two meetings can remain on the calendar. He stressed, however, that his own reading of the situation did not amount to a full understanding of conditions or risk levels. He said he trusted Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali to make the appropriate decision for the sport.

According to The Guardian, F1 is continuing with its original schedule. The newspaper also reported that a contingency involving a final round at Imola is understood to be in place if both Qatar and Abu Dhabi have to be cancelled. That remains a reported fallback rather than an announced calendar change: neither cancellation nor a replacement finale was confirmed in the report.

The uncertainty follows changes earlier in the season. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix were called off in March because of the continuing US-Iran conflict. The Guardian reported that the Bahrain round has been moved to Sepang in Malaysia for next weekend. Any further alteration would also affect the number of races remaining in the championship, which Kimi Antonelli leads by 81 points over Mercedes team-mate George Russell with nine meetings left.

Organisers of the two scheduled closing races remain confident that their events will proceed, according to the newspaper. Abu Dhabi has announced a music programme featuring Zara Larsson, the Script, Imagine Dragons and Lewis Capaldi, although Larsson has since confirmed that she will not perform at the meeting.

Larsson said her decision reflected several personal reasons beyond politics, after an earlier social-media response announcing her withdrawal was deleted. Her change of plans concerns the entertainment programme, not a cancellation of the grand prix. For the racing schedule, Hamilton's stated preference remains to attend, with the decision on whether the events can proceed resting with the sport.