The latest on F1 calendar chaos and 2027 season opener

Formula 1 is to delay an announcement over its 2027 calendar until the autumn, amid uncertainty over whether plans to start next season in the Middle East can go ahead.

The Iran war has already had a major impact on this year’s schedule – with the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia having been called off, and no guarantee yet that the final events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead.

While F1 has a contingency plan in place for this year if things need to change, the situation for next season is more critical because it revolves around the season-opening events.

The Race understands that, as part of ongoing contractual commitments, the plan is for Bahrain to take the 2027 season-opening slot on March 14, followed by the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 21.

A single pre-season test is also set to take place in Bahrain on February 25-27.

The Race has spoken to sources in the paddock to piece together what the 2027 calendar may look like (below).

F1 2027 calendar plan

Feb 25-27 Bahrain testing
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Mar 12-14 Bahrain GP
Mar 19-21 Saudi Arabian GP
Apr 2-4 Australian GP
Apr 9-11 Japanese GP
Apr 16-18 Chinese GP
Apr 30 - May 2 Miami GP
May 21-23 Canadian GP
Jun 4-6 Monaco GP
Jun 18-20 Portuguese GP
Jul 2-4 British GP
Jul 9-11 Austrian GP
Jul 23-25 Belgian GP
Jul 30 - Aug 1 Hungarian GP
Sep 3-5 Italian GP (Monza)
Sep 10-12 Spanish GP (Madring)
Sep 24-26 Azerbaijan GP
Oct 1-3 Turkish GP
Oct 8-10 Singapore GP
Oct 22-24 US GP (COTA)
Oct 29-31 Mexican GP
Nov 12-14 Brazilian GP
Nov 19-21 Las Vegas GP
Dec 3-5 Qatar GP
Dec 10-12 Abu Dhabi GP

The placement of these races at the start of the season means that decisions on if they go ahead or not are more critical for teams, as it will have major impacts on car build, freight and cost cap.

Teams need to know as early as possible when and where testing and the first race will take place – as they will want to give themselves as much headway as possible in terms of preparation.

Speaking on Wednesday, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said that F1 would present an official calendar plan after the summer break based on the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix being ready to run.

However, F1 was mindful that there could be no guarantees that happens, which is why Plan B consideration was being put in place.

“The calendar that will be presented, let's say in autumn, will be as a sort of normal plan,” he said.

“But of course, in case the situation in the Middle East would be not solved, we have options, a different plan.

“The trigger for that, of course, is at the end of the year, so we have still a lot of time, if I may say, to adjust.

“We have different plans with different options ready in place that will accommodate the fact that we will keep, in any case, the target of 24 grand prix also for next year.”

F1 would not be short of options should running in Bahrain and Saudi not be possible.

Pre-season testing could be switched to Barcelona, for example.

In terms of the season opener, F1 would be unlikely to want to wait until the Australian GP slot on April 4 for its first race, so a replacement would be on the cards for March.

Logistically for freight and planning reasons, a return to Malaysia – which is hosting the Bahrain GP this year – would make a lot of sense.

F1 would not necessarily need to put two replacement races in March as its provisional 2027 schedule appears to have suitable slots later in the year where extra events could be put in.

There are big gaps around the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix where an extra event could take place, for example.

In terms of timing, F1 tyre supplier Pirelli has said that the minimum notice it needs to ship tyres is seven weeks.

So it means that it will need to know about the location of pre-season testing by the start of 2027, with a call on the opening race around the middle of January.

Europe only option for 2026 finale replacement

While the start of the 2027 season is up in the air, F1 has shed some more light on its decision-making process regarding the end of this campaign.

Domenicali has said that a call on what happens with the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will not be made before the middle of September.

And if those events do not happen, then F1 is committed to a season finale in Europe – which would most likely be in Imola.

“I just want to confirm to you that if this [racing in the Middle East] will not be possible, the end of the season will be in Europe, because we cannot go in other places. There are some possibilities on the table.”

He added: “Considering the constraints that we have, we need to go back to close all the Brexit-connected documentation from abroad in the UK and then go to another place.

“Therefore, as I said, the only possibility is to finish in in Europe within the same framework of the time, hoping that there will be no snow.”

While Portimao in Portugal would make a lot of sense, especially because snow there would be unlikely, it may not be able to accommodate a race without compromising works being done for its proper F1 return in 2027.

And while Imola will be cold, Domenicali has played down worries about things being too extreme – especially as average temperatures show it still warmer than F1 experiences in Las Vegas.

“It's definitely something that no one knows, where the temperature will go or how will be weather like,” he said.

Domenicali said that F1 did consider a potential double-header in Las Vegas, but this was ruled out because of problems associated with it being Thanksgiving weekend, which is also a big one for US domestic sport.

“There was a possibility of having two races in Las Vegas, but we don't want to ruin a jewel that is growing by undervaluing what we are doing there,” he said.

“Of course we don't have to forget that in that period of the year we are fighting in the US against NFL. That is a major sport and we need to avoid any kind of situation that will put us in front of something that, of course, is quite still very big in the US.”