F1 confirms 2027 calendar backup plans amid Iran conflict
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- Stefano Domenicali said F1 has "different plans with different options already in place" to preserve a 24-race target for 2027, but the trigger decision won't come until the end of this year once the Middle East situation is clearer.
- The 2027 F1 calendar won't be announced until autumn — later than F1's usual timing — because of the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran.
- Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were already cancelled for 2026, and the current season could end in Europe if the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races are also affected by the conflict.
- Turkey and Portugal will return to the 2026 calendar to replace Zandvoort — which hosts its final Dutch GP on August 21-23 — and Barcelona.
- F1 is in active talks with Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand, and Argentina for future races, with Argentina's candidacy boosted by Franco Colapinto's surge in popularity since joining the grid.
- China and Japan have both requested more races, but F1 wants to "consolidate" China before adding a second event there; Hockenheim has reconnected with F1 under new ownership and a different investment model.
- Domenicali framed the issue bluntly: "F1 is a marginal point on which we should be worried marginally because the situation will be very bad," underscoring that a prolonged conflict would be a much larger geopolitical problem than a sporting inconvenience.
Why it matters: F1 typically locks next year's calendar by summer but is openly holding off until autumn — a rare admission that the Middle East war could persist into 2027. With Bahrain and Saudi already lost this year and Qatar and Abu Dhabi at risk, the 2026 season may finish in Europe. Meanwhile, Turkey, Portugal, and potential newcomers in Africa, South America, and the Far East show F1 aggressively diversifying away from volatile Gulf hosts.
