By Alan Baldwin
BUDAPEST, July 25 (Reuters) - Ferrari's home circuit of Imola has emerged as a likely host for Formula One's season-ending race if grands prix in Qatar and Abu Dhabi cannot go ahead due to conflict in the Middle East, with Malaysia set to return in October.
Qatar is due to host the penultimate round of the championship on November 29, with Abu Dhabi following on December 6.
The current plan is for both to proceed but informed sources indicated Imola's Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, in the
birthplace of Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali, had become a frontrunner to step in should circumstances rule out the Middle East.
Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper reported that Imola, dropped from the calendar this season, could return as the finale after the November Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Sources at the Hungarian Grand Prix confirmed to Reuters that was on the cards.
MALAYSIA SET TO HOST RE-SCHEDULED BAHRAIN RACE
If confirmed, Imola would be the first season-ending race in Europe since Spain's Jerez circuit hosted the finale in 1997.
With Ferrari in the hunt for a first Formula One title of any sort since 2008, an Italian finale would also be likely to be well attended.
Portugal's Portimao circuit had previously been considered a likely alternative, along with the Istanbul circuit, but construction work in the winter months ahead of their returns to the calendar in 2027 could make that difficult.
Malaysia is set to slot in on October 4, between Azerbaijan on September 26 and Singapore on October 11, as a replacement for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was called off in April along with Saudi Arabia's race in Jeddah.
"For F1, we will announce something on Sunday," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told local reporters on Saturday.
While hosted by the Sepang circuit, for the first time since 2017, the race looks likely to be billed as a Bahrain Grand Prix hosted by Malaysia, which would also overcome any local concerns about hosting fees with the Gulf kingdom reportedly prepared to foot the bill.
Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat owns Formula One champions McLaren.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Clare Fallon)
