Formula One announces big changes that will affect the whole race calendar in an official statement
The FIA has announced some big changes for the 2027 Formula One season—every race will be a bit shorter. With 14 race weekends already done and Kimi Antonelli looking like the clear favorite to win the Drivers’ Championship, fans are already excited for what’s next.
Next year’s Formula One will feel quite different, especially since many drivers’ contracts are ending. One important update is that all races will be shortened by two or three laps.
On Monday, the F1 Commission met in London to talk about the 2027 season. They agreed to cut race distances from 305 km to 290 km, which means two to three fewer laps per race, depending on the track.
Why the change? Next season, fuel flow limits will be increased because of feedback on the new rules set for 2026. This means cars will need more fuel to finish the same distance, so to avoid bigger fuel tanks, all teams agreed to shorten the races.
The FIA said in a statement: “Due to changes in Power Unit rules and fuel flow for 2027, the race distance will be reduced from 305 km to 290 km, which means two or three fewer laps.”
The change still needs final approval from the World Motor Sport Council, but that’s expected to happen easily during their virtual meeting on October 15.
The Monaco Grand Prix won’t be affected since it’s already shorter at 260 km and will be a sprint race next year.
There’s more: the FIA will remove the three-hour total time limit for races that get stopped, though the two-hour limit for actual racing time will stay. They want to make sure fans can enjoy a full race even if there are delays.
Also, they plan to allow more flexibility to extend Free Practice sessions if they get interrupted. Right now, that’s only allowed during Sprint weekends, but next year it might apply to all weekends.
Other changes include removing gearbox homologation for 2027 and a few small updates to technical rules.
Overall, these updates aim to keep the races exciting and fair while adapting to the new regulations.