The Chinese Grand Prix appears as the main candidate to open the 2027 season if the geopolitical situation in the Middle East prevents the first rounds from taking place in Bahrain and Jeddah.
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The conflict between the United States and Iran has already deeply disrupted the 2026 championship.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix were canceled earlier this season, while a round in Malaysia was added to the calendar at the beginning of October.
Decision at the end of September
Uncertainty now also concerns the last two events scheduled this year in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. For now, Formula 1 maintains its intention to go there, but a final decision should be made by the end of September.
“The calendar is confirmed. Everything is progressing well and we remain focused on delivering the calendar we announced at the beginning of the year,” said CEO Stefano Domenicali in Zandvoort.
However, these remarks do not mean that the holding of the two Grands Prix is definitively guaranteed. If the geopolitical situation does not improve sufficiently, F1 could give up Qatar and Abu Dhabi. In this scenario, Imola could host the championship finale in December, probably two weeks after Las Vegas.
Bahrain-Saudi Arabia favored early 2027
This uncertainty also explains why Formula 1 has still not published its provisional calendar for 2027. The favored scenario currently foresees a season start in Bahrain on March 14, immediately followed by Saudi Arabia on March 21. F1 would then continue with three consecutive races in Australia on April 4, Japan on April 11, and China on April 18.
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But this schedule will have to be revised if the situation in the Middle East still does not allow the first two rounds to be held. In that case, China would become the favored candidate to host the championship opener as early as March, before a second round in Japan.
Australia, traditionally capable of hosting the first Grand Prix of the season, cannot this time be moved forward significantly. Work is currently planned on the Melbourne pit building and it is not expected to be ready early enough. The Australian Grand Prix could therefore be held after China and Japan, either as the third round of an Asian triple-header or independently a few weeks later.
F1 maintains its goal of 24 races
Another difficulty would then concern the rescheduling of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. F1 could keep dates in April hoping for an improvement in the situation or postpone these two events further into the season, which would require moving other Grands Prix.
Despite all these uncertainties, Domenicali assures that the goal remains unchanged for 2027: “We have different plans and different options already ready that will allow us, whatever happens, to keep our goal of 24 Grands Prix next year,” explained the head of F1.
The decision expected at the end of September will therefore be decisive on two levels: it will not only determine the fate of Qatar and Abu Dhabi for the end of the 2026 season, but should also allow Formula 1 to determine if Bahrain can open the 2027 championship or if Shanghai will recover, for the first time, the prestigious status of the opening round.
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