F1 announces 2027 calendar with 24 races, opens in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

Formula One announced its 2027 calendar on September 16, 2026, featuring a record-tying 24 races, with preseason testing in Bahrain in late February and the first Grand Prix of the season scheduled for Bahrain from March 12 to 14. Saudi Arabia will host the second Grand Prix the following week, per Front Office Sports. The announcement marks a significant commitment to Middle East racing despite the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict. The 2027 Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races were originally canceled in 2026 due to the same conflict, and the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April 10-12, was moved to Malaysia and rescheduled for early October, per Front Office Sports. F1's commitment to the 2027 schedule comes as the sport's leadership manages uncertainty around the final two races of the 2026 season. The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled for November 27-29 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for December 4-6. According to Front Office Sports, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in late July that both races are still "confirmed," but the organization is considering ending the 2026 season in Europe if the situation in the Middle East "will not be clear the way that we believe it should be." Domenicali said a decision on the final two 2026 races would be made in the "middle of September." Domenicali indicated that Las Vegas would be the 21st race of the 2026 season, which is reportedly the minimum number of races needed for F1 to fulfill its deals, per Front Office Sports. He suggested wanting to hold at least one more race if Qatar and Abu Dhabi are canceled, and would prefer not to hold it in the United States. Domenicali stated: "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." According to Front Office Sports, Domenicali said Imola, Italy, a location dropped from the schedule after the addition of the Madrid Grand Prix, could serve as a backup plan to finish the 2026 season. A Congressional Budget Office report, per Front Office Sports, estimates that the United States has spent at least $38 billion on the war.