2025 a standout year for FIA championship: Ben Sulayem

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 December 4-6 next year in a championship, which will see the next generation of F1 cars running on 100% 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 on April 10-12, Saudi Arabia from April 17-19 and Qatar from November 27-29.

Saudi again stages back-to-back Jeddah races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar on February 13-14, 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.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem speaks during the meeting.

Once again, the Dakar Rally in Saudi commences next year’s FIA World Rally-Raid Championship from January 3-17, with the Rally du Maroc taking place from September 28 to October 3 and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on November 22-27. Bahrain represents the Middle East in the ten-round F3 calendar.

Ben Sulayem told World Motor Sport Council members: “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. “This year is a powerful opportunity for us to innovate and grow. New agreements across our championships are unlocking fresh potential, we are enhancing the level of competition and expanding our global reach. Each race across our championships shows the passion and dedication of our community.”

The World Council approved one of the final pieces of the compelling puzzle that is coming together to mark the start of a brand-new era for the FIA World Rally Championship from 2027.

The WRC27 rule set 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 of 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.

Meanwhile, a new street circuit in Madrid will make its debut on the Formula 1 schedule in September of next year, replacing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.