Given the change to power unit regulations for next season – with the near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power seen this year reducing to 58/42 for 2027 – the sport’s governing body has decided, in line with F1 executives, to reduce the minimum total race distance from 305km to 290km.
This will equate to a reduction of two or three laps per grand prix. The only anomaly to this is the Monaco Grand Prix, which covers 260km over 78 laps of racing.
The FIA also announced changes to wet-weather rules, which invoked a three-hour limit for a race to end once it has started. This stipulation has been removed for 2027.
An FIA statement read: “Regarding races that are disrupted by rain or other factors, it was decided that a hard stop time would be introduced for the end of any racing activity, but that the current limitation of a race to three hours (from its start to its end – including interruptions) would be removed.
“The limit of two hours of actual racing will remain. These changes were introduced to ensure that the spectators have the best possible chance to enjoy a full race if disruptions occur.
‘It was also agreed that there would be greater flexibility to extend Free Practice sessions should they be interrupted.”
The 2027 season schedule, announced last week, sees Bahrain host the season-opener in March and Portugal and Turkey rejoin the calendar.
The next race of the 2026 season is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this Saturday, 26 September.
