F1 Briefly Explored Back-to-Back Las Vegas Grand Prix Weekends

Formula 1 officials briefly examined the possibility of staging a second consecutive race weekend in Las Vegas later this year, but the concept was quickly shelved after discussions with local tourism leaders. The idea emerged as Formula 1 began evaluating contingency plans for the final stretch of its 2026 season amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding races scheduled in Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6).

Rather than adding another race at a different point on the calendar, F1 considered holding a second Las Vegas Grand Prix the weekend immediately following the city’s existing race date, Nov. 21, since all the infrastructure would already be in place.

“There was a possibility of having two races in Las Vegas,” F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali told reporters on Wednesday (July 29). “But we don’t want to ruin, let me put it in this way, a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there.”

In other words, running two consecutive Grand Prix weekends in the same place would potentially dilute demand and reduce the impact of both events.

F1 Called an Audible

The timing also presented complications. The proposed second race weekend would have coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in the U.S. and the biggest weekend for the NFL after the Super Bowl.

“That is a major sport,” Domenicali said. “A lot of fans are watching that, so we need to avoid any kind of situation that would put us in front of something that, of course, is still very big in the U.S.”

F1 is currently working on contingencies for a stand-in if its Middle East races cannot go ahead, with Imola in Italy the current front-runner to host the season finale.

Domenicali said that a decision on Qatar and Abu Dhabi, both of which are sold out, would not be made until mid-September, giving the organization additional time to monitor global developments.