One European track could be added to the 2026 calendar as the season finale, in what could be a dream scenario for Ferrari F1 star Lewis Hamilton.

Two races had to be cancelled earlier this year due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix both falling off the calendar.

While F1 are working hard to potentially replace those two events – with Malaysia’s Sepang Circuit and Portugal’s Portimao being tipped as possibilities – the current schedule looks like a 22-race calendar, and there could yet be more cancelled events to come.

The final two race weekends on the 2026 calendar are due to be in the Middle East, at the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix, and the situation in the Middle East remains uncertain.

Because of this, it appears as though plans are being put in place incase the season-ending races need to be replaced, to ensure that we do have a showpiece event at the end of the season.

And, in what could be a dream scenario for Hamilton, a return to the calendar for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola as a season finale is now being reported as a possibility by The Race.

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Hamilton to win title in front of adoring fans?

Other than a season finale at Silverstone, it’s hard to think of a better ending to the year for Hamilton than at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Imagine this. Lewis Hamilton winning his record-breaking eighth world championship title and first with Ferrari in front of the Italian team’s home fans.

Hamilton is currently in second in the drivers’ championship, 45 points behind 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli in what could turn into a brilliant title battle between three drivers from two different teams in the latter stages of the season.

Of course, the iconic Imola track would also spell another home race for Antonelli, and it would be interesting to see who the majority of the crowd would be rooting for in that scenario.

The Emilia-Romagna GP was last on the calendar in 2025, meaning it is as F1 ready as any track not already on the schedule, which could mean that a decision to race there could be made at relatively short notice.

Imola dropped off the calendar this year to make way for the new Madring Circuit, which will host the Spanish Grand Prix in September.

The potential return of Imola, Portimao and Malaysia are being reported by many different media outlets, but GPFans understand that these are just some of several circuits under consideration to potentially hold a grand prix further down the line.

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Ferrari F1 star Charles Lerclerc’s dog Leo left a present for Red Bull at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and it was not a nice one!

Leo Leclerc has become a much-loved member of the F1 paddock, ever since Alexandra and Charles first brought him along to a race in 2024.

He is a miniature daschund, and was best friends with Lewis Hamilton‘s dog Roscoe, who unfortunately passed away last year.

And at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Leo was causing all sorts of mischief.

The pet was spotted outside Red Bull’s garage having a wee, with Leclerc and his wife Alexandra looking in equal parts mortified and amused by the situation.

Red Bull seemingly saw the funny side, posting an image on their social media pages with one of their team members holding up a piece of paper which read: ‘Leo was here’.

F1 fans on social media also pointed out that the position of Leo’s bowel movement came right underneath the number three, Verstappen’s race number since having to switch from one at the beginning of this year.

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Leo not the only dog causing havoc

While Leo is now the mischievous hound, it was Leclerc’s team-mate Hamilton whose dogs used to run riot in the paddock.

Hamilton owned Coco and Roscoe, with Roscoe in particular becoming part of the fabric at F1 race weekends.

And, earlier this month at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton revealed that Roscoe previously used to poo right outside Valtteri Bottas’ garage in the paddock.

“Yeah, I mean, Valtteri’s going to miss the turds that he used to put in front of you,” Hamilton said in a press conference which also involved Bottas.

“It’s kind of crazy. I mean, for all those that have dogs, I miss them every day. So, I miss both my dogs every day. I still have them on my other phone. I have a picture of them.

“But yeah, it’s kind of crazy because I remember he would always be snoring through the night, waking up in the middle of the night, take him outside to take a poo in front of Valtteri’s thing. He just always went there. Don’t know why.”

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In 2013, Hamilton adopted two bulldogs in Roscoe and Coco, with both making regular appearances in the F1 paddock.

However, Coco was given a shorter life expectancy after complications surrounding her birth and died in 2020 following a suspected heart attack.

Roscoe died five years later at the age of 12, leaving Hamilton devastated. He was given compassionate leave by Ferrari to miss a tyre test to spend his final moments with Roscoe.

Following Roscoe’s death, Hamilton released a statement on Instagram reading: “After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe.

“He never stopped fighting, right until the very end. I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend.

“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.

“Although I lost Coco, I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before, though I know my mum and many close friends have.

“It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet.

“Although it was so hard, having him was one of the most beautiful parts of life, to love so deeply and to be loved in return.

“Thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown Roscoe over the years. It has been so special to witness and feel.”

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Four driver names on the F1 timing charts of this weekend’s FP1 session at the Hungarian Grand Prix may not look as familiar as they usually do to those tuning in.

This is because there are four full-time drivers who will be giving up their seat for the first hour of practice at the Hungaroring to hand their machinery over to a ‘rookie’ driver to test out instead.

Let’s take a look at the full list of drivers (at the time of writing) who will be stepping aside for FP1 in Hungary.

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McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri will be spending Friday afternoon in Mogyorod in the garage or potentially even sat at the pitwall, enjoying a different perspective on the session in order to make way for back-to-back F3 and F2 champion, Leonardo Fornaroli.

Fornaroli will join Lando Norris in the other MCL40 in his second rookie session of the season, having tried out the reigning champion’s machinery in Barcelona last month.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto will also be absent from FP1 as Paul Aron returns to the track in his role as F1 reserve driver with the Enstone-based outfit, having also deputised for both Audi F1 drivers in the past after Alpine loaned him out to the squad formerly known as Sauber.

Ryo Hirakawa, who recently swapped out for Esteban Ocon at the Red Bull Ring will now do the same by driving Ollie Bearman’s car for FP1 in Hungary.

And the fourth and final driver swap which will take place on Friday, July 24, concerns Cadillac and F2 driver Colton Herta.

The test driver for the brand new squad will be replacing Valtteri Bottas this weekend for FP1, with the American driver saying ahead of his outing: “It’s very exciting to get another chance in FP1. It’s a good opportunity for my personal experience, but the ultimate goal is, of course, to help the team with its development.

“It’s been six weeks since I was last in the car, and there’s been a lot of evolution in that time. My job is to help the race drivers have the best possible Hungarian Grand Prix – but also provide the feedback that will aid the team in its long-term development aims and give me a better baseline in future sessions.”

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Why do F1 drivers sit out of FP1?

In case you’re new to F1 or you’ve never found yourself wondering who the drivers are that occasionally pop up on the timings charts, here’s how it works.

Each constructor must have both of their full-time drivers vacate their seat for two FP1 sessions across every campaign, meaning all 11 F1 teams should field a rookie driver on four separate occasions across their two cars.

The rules require each team to give an equal amount of opportunities to young drivers or racers with less experience in F1, with the term ‘rookie’ being defined as an individual who is yet to complete more than two F1 grands prix.

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