Speculations surrounding potential replacement venues for Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds at the end of the 2026 F2 season continue to circulate around the paddock. With the situation in the region remaining uncertain, an official announcement is still yet to come.
Speaking during Thursday’s virtual media session ahead of the Budapest round before the summer break, attended by Pit Debrief, Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne and MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe weighed in on the situation and shared their thoughts on the potential changes to the calendar.
Dunne would be “really pleased” if F2 heads to new tracks
Currently fourth in the Drivers’ Standings with 108 points, Dunne’s consistency has proven to be one of his strongest qualities throughout his second F2 campaign. While the Budapest round proved to be a difficult one for the Irishman, he will be looking to bounce back strongly at Monza when the season resumes next week.
During his rookie season, Dunne stood out as a strong competitor and was one of the top contenders to win the championship; unfortunately, he finished his rookie season fifth in the Drivers’ Standings. Nonetheless, the Alpine-backed driver impressed multiple Formula 1 teams with his performance on track. He said he would be content if Formula 2 were to add new circuits as an alternative to the remaining ones.
“Yeah, I think if we ended up going to new tracks, I’d be really pleased. You know, of course, the safety and the well-being of all the people in that area of the world is the most important thing. So yeah, I think that’s the most important and the main focus is making sure that everyone is OK.
“But I think if we ended up racing in a different track or a new venue for F2, I’d be pretty pleased because I think that was definitely a big hit and something that all of us drivers really enjoyed when we went to Montreal and Miami.”
Dunne lists Austin and Mexico as his alternative tracks
Until the end of last season, the Irishman was part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme and took part in two FP1 sessions. On top of that, Dunne’s involvement with the team’s testing-of-previous-cars programme saw him running several testing sessions for them at circuits like Zandvoort and Circuit of The Americas.
“I think if I had to pick two tracks, I would say COTA would probably be my number one pick. I tested there in F1 last year with McLaren, I really enjoyed the track. And also the barbecue there is really good as well. And I think we’ve got a couple of good reasons as to why we’d go there.”
As a second alternative, he mentioned the F1 track in Mexico, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. He argued that the atmosphere of the location and the challenging circuit add to his decision.
“And then I would say probably Mexico as well. It looks like a cool track. I think it’s an opportunity that would provide really good racing. You know, I think we showed that the general level of racing and how exciting it is, is always really high in F2. So I think Mexico would be an exciting track as well.
“And also the food is really good there as well. So you can tell I’m a big fan of food. So yeah, I think Mexico and COTA would be my two top picks.
Goethe weighs in on potential replacements for Qatar and Abu Dhabi
Adding to Dunne’s comments, Goethe, who currently sits 14th in the Drivers’ Standings with 29 points, also weighed in on which circuits he would like to see added as potential replacements.
When asked about his opinion on Austin and Mexico as replacements, he said: “Well, I don’t know. I’ve never been to COTA or Mexico.”
Moreover, while currently it is very unclear what options are realistic, Goethe mentioned that he hopes to return to the Lusail International Circuit and Yas Marina Circuit if possible.
“But yeah, I mean, obviously, we don’t know anything right now. So yeah, we’re waiting just like you guys are. Obviously, it would be really nice to go back to Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Maybe even Jeddah, I’m not sure. We were really quick there last year. So for that reason, I would like to go back there. But obviously, with what’s going on, it’s hard to tell.”
Goethe keen on potential F2 round in São Paulo
Although Goethe hasn’t had the opportunity to race in Austin or Mexico, he would like to see COTA as an alternative track.
“And apart from those races, I also like the idea of COTA. Seems like a really cool track. I’ve never had the opportunity to drive there. But definitely want to drive there one day.”
Goethe also expressed his interest in potentially racing in São Paulo. While acknowledging that drivers have no control over calendar decisions, he hopes that, in the best case-scenario, the season will still be able to complete all 14 rounds.
“And then I think São Paulo is another really cool track. Again, haven’t driven there, but looks cool on TV. So I’d say those two tracks are probably the nicest out of that part of the season on the F1 calendar.
“So that would be nice. But that’s just my preference. And I don’t really have much of a say on it. So we’ll just wait and see. Hopefully, we get to do all 14 races. That would be the best-case scenario.”
Co-Author: Yi Xing Lim
