The 2027 Formula One season is scheduled to open in the Middle East despite the ongoing U.S.–Iran war in the region.
F1 announced its 2027 calendar Wednesday—much later than last year, when it released the 2026 calendar in June. The schedule includes a record-tying 24 races, with the first race weekend will be held in Bahrain from March 12–14. Saudi Arabia will host the second Grand Prix the following week.
Bahrain will also host preseason testing in late February.
The two countries were also scheduled to host races this season, but both were originally canceled due to the war. The Bahrain Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April 10–12, was moved to Malaysia and rescheduled for early October.
The announcement of the 2027 calendar comes before F1 announced an official decision on the final two races of the 2026 season, which are scheduled to take place in Qatar (Nov. 27–29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec 4–6).
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in late July that two races were still “confirmed,” but they are considering ending the season in Europe if the situation in the Middle East “will not be clear the way that we believe it should be.” Both Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been struck this month in the multi-front conflict. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. has spent at least $38 billion on the war.
Domenicali said a decision will be made in the “middle of September.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the race that directly precedes Qatar, and it would be the 21st race of the season, which would reportedly be the minimum number of races needed for F1 to fulfill its deals.
However, Domenicali suggested he would want to hold at least one more race if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are canceled, and would not want it to be held in the U.S.
“We are fighting the U.S. against the NFL and we need to avoid any kind of situation that would put us in front of something that is still very big in the U.S.,” Domenicali said.
He said that Imola, Italy, a location that was dropped from the schedule after adding the Madrid Grand Prix, could be a backup plan to finish the season.
