F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has announced that news about future calendar rotations will be revealed “very, very soon,” a possibility that has been discussed for some time.
The focus is particularly on the European races, with the idea of rotating circuits to host Grands Prix every other year. This comes as the demand to host a race has never been higher, while F1 is aiming to limit the calendar to 24 races per season.
F1 CEO confirms news on race rotation coming ‘very, very soon’
Seven tracks are set to end their current contracts with Formula 1 at the end of 2025, five of which are in Europe. These include Monaco, Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, and Imola, all of which are trying to extend their agreements with the sport.
With this season reaching a record 24 races, and Madrid confirmed to join the calendar in 2026, Domenicali has previously talked about the possibility of rotating races to keep certain circuits involved in the sport without having them on the calendar every year.
Both Barcelona and Baku are also due to end their contracts in 2026, and with increased interest from other countries to host races—Argentina, for example, has expressed interest, partly due to the rise of Franco Colapinto—Domenicali said that there’s room to rotate races and add new venues to the calendar.
“We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grands Prix and some other new options coming later,” Domenicali said during a recent Liberty Media investors call.
“This is something that, of course, we will clarify in the due course. It is true that we have a large demand of new possible venues that want to come in, and our choice will always be balanced between the right economic benefits that we can have as a system and also to leverage in the growth on the market that we can see potential that will be beneficial for us to grow even further our business.”
Half of the events on the current F1 calendar are tied to contracts that extend into the 2030s, including Madrid, which will have a 10-year deal. This means a large portion of the calendar is already set for the coming years.
While the current Concorde Agreement (which is set to be renegotiated next year) allows for up to 25 races per season, Domenicali reiterated that F1 believes 24 races is the right number. He pointed out that both team principals and drivers have raised concerns about the increasing travel demands on everyone involved.
“We believe that the balance we have in terms of numbers is the right one, so 24 is the balanced number that we feel is right,” Domenicali confirmed.
He added, “I do believe that all the propositions that are coming on our table is just giving us the possibility to make even better choices for our future. So as always, we need to be balanced, knowing that we cannot follow only the pure direct financial proposition, because that is different from region to region, but it’s up to us to propose to our stakeholders the right choice.”
Domenicali concluded, “I think that we are in a good momentum to make sure that the strategy for the future is even stronger, and that’s why we are so confident about the fact that this will help to enhance our platform on the sport, on social and business perspective.”
There is also growing interest in bringing F1 back to Africa, with Rwanda being considered as a potential host and a possible return to Kyalami in South Africa, though upgrades to the circuit are needed to meet FIA Grade 1 standards.
