How F1’s plan for rotating races could look in practice

Paddock wags used to (half) joke that the Formula 1 calendar was drawn up by people who flew by private jet, or at the very least turned left while lowering themselves to breathe the same air as we mortals on a scheduled flight. But now our annual itinerary, which has long bordered on the chaotic and dysfunctional, is about to be transformed.

The calendar is going to change shape, in part to reduce expenses for and physical strains on competitors under the budget cap, but chiefly because F1 needs to streamline its travel to move closer to its stated goal of achieving ‘net zero’ status by 2030. In parallel with this commitment – and what an unlikely and uncomfortable combination this makes – F1 also wants to accommodate new venues, mostly outside the traditional European heartland.

At the same time there is a recognition that, while the Concorde Agreement enshrines a maximum of 25 races per season, recent experience has shown 24 is the most the competitors can reasonably handle. What this means is that several races in Europe will enter ‘rotation’ to make room for the new venues which are waiting to shower the commercial rights holder with money.

Beyond the addition of Madrid for 2026, it’s known that Rwanda and Thailand want to host grands prix, and that Argentina and Turkey covet a return to the calendar. In recent years there’s also been talk of South Africa making a comeback, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali went as far as touring several potential street circuit locations for a so-called Caribbean Grand Prix in the Colombian city of Barranquilla.

While this is unlikely to happen in the near future, Mexican GP promoter Alejandro Soberon recently confirmed he had been consulted by the Colombian authorities as part of their due diligence process. Soberon’s company, CIE, is among Latin America’s biggest live entertainment promoters.

Saudi Arabia is also known to want a second GP venue on its shores. When the country joined the F1 calendar in 2021 via a street circuit in Jeddah, the initial plan was for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to move to a new, purpose-built track as part of a wider development in Qiddiya by the end of the decade.

Domenicali, pictured with now ousted Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin, is seeking to expand F1's horizons

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

This idea quickly evolved. Speaking ahead of the 2023 event the race’s promoter, Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al Faisal, said: “Saudi Arabia is a very big market and we have a very strong economy, so the idea of having two races in Saudi is doable. I would not be surprised if Saudi in the near future will host two races. We don’t know if it would be practical and feasible for Formula One Management and the teams, but we built this track in Jeddah to last.”

This is understood to now be very much on the cards. As one of the biggest contributors to F1’s income, via the extant Jeddah sanctioning deal (believed to be worth $55m per year) and state-owned oil company Aramco’s sponsorship ($450m over 10 years), Saudi Arabia has considerable influence at the top table.

Rotation coming soon

The future F1 calendar will look rather different, with races grouped together geographically rather than hopping back and forth between continents. The most recent season began this direction of travel as Japan and Azerbaijan moved to more logistically sensible slots.

"If we can be in 28 markets, I think that would be fantastic. But I think we can only do that 24 times a year"
Zak Brown

F1’s next step has been to engineer a move for the Monaco GP which enables Canada to host its race just after Miami; the venues are near enough for this to make practical sense but not so close as to poach ticket sales from one another. The possibility of proximate races cannibalising each other’s audiences has become less of a concern as F1’s global audience has boomed.

To accommodate new venues, though, something has to give. In late 2023, McLaren CEO Zak Brown proposed a system whereby 28 tracks could be accommodated – but only by some of them ceasing to host events annually. He returned to that during the FIA press conference at the last US GP, in response to a question about how to avoid a repetition of the 2024 season’s punishing schedule where the final six rounds came as two triple-headers.

“As far as the calendar goes, I think 24 is the maximum,” he said. “As I’ve said before, I think maybe having 20 fixed races and eight races that rotate every other year so we can continue to grow the sport, because there’s definitely demand. So if we can be in 28 markets, I think that would be fantastic. But I think we can only do that 24 times a year.

“We are going to have to look at rotations and things of that nature, which we’re already starting to do. This is the first year we’ve done 24 races. Give it another couple of years, there will be some people that get pretty tired.”

McLaren boss Brown says there is a limit to the number of races that can feasibly be part of the championship

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Domenicali has also stated on more than one occasion that “24 is the limit”. But he also claimed, while speaking to reporters during the last Chinese GP weekend, that “more than 35” potential venues for new races had been in contact, of which perhaps 11 were “realistic”. He shared the vision for how these might be incorporated during Liberty Media’s most recent quarterly earnings call with investors.

“We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grand Prix and some other new options coming later,” he said. “This is something we will clarify in due course.

“It is true we have a large demand of new possible venues that want to come in. Our choice will always be balanced between the right economic benefits we can have as a system, and also to leverage the growth of the market that we can see potential that will be beneficial for us to grow even further our business.”

The syntax might have been muddled but the business logic is clear. Lucrative new markets – typically with the backing of governments eager to put their countries on the sporting map – have long been part of F1’s gameplan. In the latter part of the Bernie Ecclestone era, when CVC Capital Partners was loading the business with debt which needed to be offset somehow, the likes of South Korea and India followed Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Turkey into the calendar.

This means those European grands prix which have no state funding are at the greatest risk of becoming ‘irregular regulars’ – rotating with each other and happening every other year, or disappearing entirely.

Which races will go?

Of the venues soon to be out of contract, it’s understood that Barcelona, Spa and Imola are the prime candidates to enter rotation. While few fans – and people working in F1 – will miss Barcelona, its promoter is eager to stay in play even though the Spanish Grand Prix is moving to a new semi-street circuit in Madrid. If enough local investment can be found, there is a possibility of Barcelona hosting a non-annual event under a different name, similar to Imola’s Emilia Romagna GP arrangement.

The danger for events taking this approach is that the local appetite can run out very quickly, as with the short-lived rebirth of the French GP at Paul Ricard, which fizzled out after its fourth outing.

New Madrid track will enter the calendar from 2026, which could threaten the future of the Barcelona race

Photo by: Formula 1

Losing ‘classic’ venues is a problematic subject for purists. When Domenicali took over as F1 CEO he spoke of a need to maintain a number of “historic” races in order to maintain F1’s identity and credibility. But that messaging has hardened somewhat over the past year and he has recently said “nothing is given for granted to anyone”.

So as F1 enters its 75th anniversary year, at least one of the circuits which hosted a grand prix in the inaugural world championship season faces an uncertain future. Spa-Francorchamps is a prime candidate for rotation despite its status as one of grand prix racing’s most challenging tracks. The race’s promoter, Spa Grand Prix, is owned by the local Walloon government and therefore subject to greater public scrutiny if the figures don’t add up.

Conspicuously among long-term deals granted to other races, Belgium has survived on one-year extensions since the pandemic, and twice the prime minister, Alexander De Croo, has interceded personally with Domenicali to plead his country’s case. That will no longer happen since De Croo resigned after his party was defeated at the federal polls last June.

For all Domenicali’s talk of at least 11 viable new venues eager to join the calendar, it’s understood that just five are close enough be announced imminently

Just across the border in Holland, Zandvoort has no government support and relies entirely on commercial revenues to sustain the Dutch GP. Autosport understands that the only deal on the table for it to stay in F1 was to enter rotation. Given its reliance on Max Verstappen fans, and the imminent prospect of VAT being levied on ticket sales, it chose to bow out altogether in 2026.

Other European venues have had to ‘show willing’ by making large capital investments, such as Monza’s new paddock facilities and track surface and the Hungaroring’s new pit complex. Even Monaco has had to give ground. Hungary has been granted a contract extension and Monza, whose previous deal ended in 2025, has been rewarded similarly.

China’s deal was also due to end in 2025 but the Shanghai circuit has been granted a five-year extension. Although the country is an important market for the automobile industry, its commitment to F1 has wavered in recent years. Zhou Guanyu’s presence on the grid contributed to healthy ticket sales for Shanghai’s first post-Covid race – can these be sustained with him gone?

Even then, claims of “sell-out” crowds must be nuanced – the circuit was built at speed on reclaimed swampland and is subsiding in places, to the extent that one grandstand collapsed several years ago and the ones outside Turns 12 and 13 have never been used except as giant ad hoardings.

The new arrivals

Much vaunted new Qiddiya City track is slated to have 108 metres of elevation change

Photo by: Qiddiya Media

For all Domenicali’s talk of at least 11 viable new venues eager to join the calendar, it’s understood that just five are close enough be announced imminently.

Qiddiya Speed Park, part of a massive development under way near Riyadh as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification programme, has been co-designed by former F1 driver Alex Wurz and will feature 108 metres of elevation change. There will be a concert space and two theme parks, one of which will boast the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. It’s anticipated that the circuit will be ready in 2027 and, as outlined earlier, host a second event on Saudi territory rather than replacing Jeddah.

Both Rwanda and Argentina have held meaningful talks with F1 and the FIA. Indeed, relations between the African nation and the governing body are such that that, somewhat controversially, Rwanda hosted the FIA’s prestigious annual prize-giving ceremony in December.

Rwandan dignitaries attended the 2024 Monaco GP and met Domenicali in September, with further talks scheduled last month. F1 could shortly be returning to the African content for the first time since 1993. Any deal would require a facility to be built, though, whereas Argentina already has one – although it hasn’t hosted F1 since 1998, and would require updating just as Mexico’s did ahead of its return last decade.

At 2.68 miles, the twisting infield layout of the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez is rather short, slow and fiddly; any future F1 event would have to incorporate the longer loop around the Lago de Regates. A delegation including tourism minister Daniel Scioli and Argentinian automobile federation president Cesar Carman held talks with Domenicali in November amid a surge of F1 interest in that country – chiefly driven by Franco Colapinto, already Argentina’s second most famous current sportsman after Lionel Messi.

While Argentina’s economy is rather frail and its political scene turbulent, it’s understood that the grand prix bid is underpinned by private rather than government finance. Despite the state of the domestic economy Argentina is home to many successful international businesses including Globant, the digital services provider which sponsors F1 and Colapinto.

Turkey is even more ready to plug-and-play since its Tilke-designed circuit hosted F1 as recently as 2021, a schedule-filler during the Covid era. So eager were the hosts to impress that they resurfaced the entire track, a tactic which backfired when the surprised competitors found the freshly laid surface yielded no grip.

F1 has changed a huge amount since Argentina last hosted a race in 1998

Photo by: LAT Photographic

More significantly, Istanbul Park now has a different operating company, one with connections to Pirelli’s Turkish division. A commitment to bringing F1 back to Turkey was a pillar of the tender process.

Another country determined to join the calendar is Thailand, which already has a driver on the grid – Alex Albon – as well as a commercial foothold via the Yoovidhya dynasty, inventors of the energy drink known globally as Red Bull. The family retains a 51% stake in Red Bull GmbH.

Domenicali visited Thailand on his way back from the Chinese GP and subsequently held talks with the Thai prime minister at the time, Thavisin. The Thai media has reported that negotiations are sufficiently advanced for a Bangkok street circuit to host a race in 2027, and that confirmation is imminent. F1 cars have taken to the streets of the nation’s capital before: Red Bull held a demonstration run there in 2010.

As with all events relying on government largesse, though, the putative Thai GP is beholden to changes in the political scene, especially given the time scales involved. Let’s not forget the rapid coming and going of the Vietnam GP, scheduled for 2020: this race was not a victim of Covid but of one of its prime movers, local politician Nguyen Duc Chung, going to jail…

SAFE

Australia

Australia returns to hosting the season opener this year and has a place on the calendar for the next 12 years firmed up

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 14-16 March
Contract until: 2037

In 2022 Melbourne agreed a deal which took it to 2035 but then gained a two-year extension as quid pro quo for allowing Saudi Arabia to take the coveted season-opener slot in 2024. As it transpired, a calendar rejig for logistics purposes meant last season began with Bahrain after a pre-season test there. Melbourne has an agreement to host the season opener at least four times in its current contract.

China

Zhou's absence from the grid this year does not appear set to damage the Chinese GP's future

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 21-23 March
Contract until: 2030

Although there have been some doubts over the quality of the track surface and the impact on domestic interest of Zhou Guanyu losing his race drive, China is such an important territory for F1 that renewal of the previous contract (which was due to end in 2025) was a formality.

Japan

Engine deal with Aston and five-year extension for Suzuka agreed last year shows Japan's F1 commitment

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 4-6 April
Contract until: 2029

Honda, which owns the Suzuka track, has rediscovered its interest in F1 after recent success with Red Bull, and is committed post-2026 as Aston Martin’s engine partner. It reached a five-year extension deal with F1 in 2024. Until that point there had been rumours of a street race in Osaka replacing Suzuka as the Japanese GP venue.

Bahrain

Bahrain is in it for the long haul

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 11-13 April
Contract until: 2036

Having signed a 14-year extension back in 2022, Bahrain is in F1 for the long haul and its circuit will have an on-site solar farm so as to have net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The country’s sovereign wealth fund is a majority owner of McLaren.

Saudi Arabia-Jeddah

With Jeddah secure, an additional race in Saudi Arabia looks likely to be added in years to come

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 18-20 April
Contract until: 2030

Jeddah will be on the calendar to the end of the decade and Saudi Arabia is known to covet another race on its soil. As a key investor in F1, it will likely secure it.

USA-Miami

Still a relative newcomer to the calendar, Miami has been a popular addition

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 2-4 May
Contract until: 2031

As part of F1’s much-touted expansion into the important US market, this venue doesn’t need to justify its presence – as evinced by the signing of a 10-year contract before the first race.

Monaco

F1's grandee race of years gone by regularly produces processions and many believe the world championship has outgrown it

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 23-25 May
Contract until: 2031

Monaco is no longer as commercially important to F1 as it once was and it had to give up its traditional end-of-May date from 2026 in order to secure a relatively modest six-year extension.

Canada

Montreal has its place on the calendar firmed up until at least 2031

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 13-15 June
Contract until: 2031

Another race to receive a decently long extension as quid pro quo for agreeing to shift dates, in this case to May – where temperatures in Montreal will likely be below 10C…

Austria

Red Bull Ring's future is not in doubt while its owner is so committed to F1

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 27-29 June
Contract until: 2030

Owned by a Red Bull subsidiary, the Red Bull Ring announced two contract extensions in 2023: a first one in March taking the race until 2027, then four months later an updated deal taking it to 2030. This came at a time when doubts surrounded the company’s long-term commitment after the death of Dietrich Mateschitz.

Britain

The British GP will continue at Silverstone until at least 2034

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 5-6 July
Contract until: 2034

Silverstone and its owners were always on shaky ground in the Bernie Ecclestone era but the current management is totally aligned with F1’s vision of each grand prix having a broader (and commercially sustainable) offering to paying spectators.

Hungary

Pledged infrastructure work at the Hungaroring will take several years to complete

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 1-3 August
Contract until: 2032

The Hungaroring concluded its latest contract extension in 2023. It had to commit to demolishing the existing – and very dated – pit and paddock facilities and building something more in keeping with modern F1.

Italy-Monza

Monza's significant investment has already been rewarded with a new contract

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 5-7 September
Contract until: 2031

Over the past two years, Monza has made a huge capital investment in new facilities and track resurfacing and has duly been rewarded with a long-term contract extension as a result.

Azerbaijan

There is no shortage of will to keep Baku on the calendar

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 19-21 September
Contract until: 2026

Eventful grands prix, growing impact on tourism, governmental desire to keep Azerbaijan on the calendar, plus the involvement of the influential Flavio Briatore (also an investor in business and property in Baku) suggest a long future for this race.

Singapore

An important event for deal-making, Singapore's place is safe

Photo by: Lionel Ng / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 3-5 October
Contract until: 2028

Now arguably F1’s most important destination in terms of deal-making and sponsor-wrangling. The only question is where it fits into the itinerary.

USA-Austin

F1 returned to the US in Austin over a decade ago and has gone from strength to strength in the years since

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 17-19 October
Contract until: 2026

While other putative venues for the US GP have shown interest, these will be weighed against the Austin promoter’s track record, investment ($10m on resurfacing), and the ongoing success of music events here during grand prix weekends.

Mexico

Even without Perez, F1 still has a loyal fanbase in Mexico

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

2025 date: 24-26 October
Contract until: 2025

Despite no government support this event has gone from strength to strength, attracting fans from all over the world. The promoter signalled their determination to pursue a contract extension even if, as has now transpired, local hero Sergio Perez dropped out of F1.

Brazil

It no longer has the same cushy gig as in previous years, but Interlagos is here to stay

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 7-9 November
Contract until: 2030

In the Ecclestone era this race paid no sanctioning fee. Bernie has now retired to a large ranch in Brazil. Local government and private enterprise now pick up the tab for the race and circuit renovations, hence the GP is now named after its host city.

USA-Las Vegas

The prestige F1 affords to its new showpiece event means its position is surely safe

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 20-22 November
Contract until: 2025

Although technically ‘at risk’, given local resistance to the disruption caused by the event, and the requirement to have sign-off from local stakeholders to extend by 10 years, this race is too important to Liberty Media to fail.

Qatar

Qatar's presence on the calendar is secure until at least 2032

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

2025 date: 28-30 November
Contract until: 2032

Qatar committed enough money up front to keep this event on the calendar until 2032 despite shelving plans to build a new facility in favour of renovating the present one.

Abu Dhabi

The now-traditional host of the final round isn't going anywhere soon

Photo by: Ferrari

2025 date: 5-7 December
Contract until: 2030

The UAE’s deep pockets ensure the unloved Yas Marina circuit remains on the calendar – and, remarkably, contractually enshrined as the season finale.

AT RISK

Italy-Imola

Imola's unexpected return to the calendar may not be feasible in the long-term

Photo by: Williams

2025 date: 16-18 May
Contract until: 2025

The former venue of the San Marino Grand Prix returned to the calendar in 2020 as a Covid contingency. Financial backing from local government and the Automobile Club of Italy kept it there but the current three-year deal is about to end.

Spain-Barcelona

Another Spanish round on the calendar could spell curtains for Barcelona

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 30 May-1 June
Contract until: 2026

The disliked Barcelona track is on borrowed time. A new facility in Madrid will host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 so the Catalan track will likely enter rotation, depending on finance, or vanish from the calendar altogether.

Belgium

Could the famous Eau Rouge corner be lost from F1?

Photo by: Erik Junius

2025 date: 25-27 July
Contract until: 2025

Amid doubts over track safety and commercial sustainability, Spa-Francorchamps has been on one-year rolling deals since 2022. Its iconic status means it’s unlikely to disappear entirely but it will likely cease to be annual.

GOING

Netherlands

Reluctance to accept rotation will spell the end of Zandvoort's tenure on the calendar

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

2025 date: 29-31 August
Contract until: 2026

This event now plans to “go out on a high”, in the words of the promoter, after turning down a deal which would have involved rotation. It extended its current contract by one year and will then stop.

Will the Dutch GP go out on a high next year?

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images