F1 boss teases unprecedented 2026 calendar shake-up: ‘We have some news to share’

South Africa, Rwanda and Argentina are all eyeing a spot on the F1 calendar in the future

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has revealed that some European grands prix face the prospect of hosting races on a bi-annual basis, starting in 2026.

Currently, the calendar is made up of 24 races from March to December – a record high for the sport – with the current Concorde Agreement set to a maximum of 25 races a year.

However, with the likes of South Africa, Rwanda, Argentina, South Korea and Thailand all eyeing a race in the future, Domenicali has said that some European events will have to forego their year-by-year pattern and instead host on a rotational basis with another event.

For example, Zandvoort in the Netherlands has long been linked with a rotational deal with Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium – though recent reports link Zandvoort with Barcelona – while Monza and Imola in Italy could share hosting duties for the Italian Grand Prix.

“We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grand Prix and some other new options coming later,” Domenicali said on a 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 economical 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.”

Madrid joins the calendar in 2026 with a city street circuit, while European races at Silverstone, Budapest and Austria have long-term deals into the 2030s.

Monaco is also up for renewal after 2025 but a rotational option for the famed principality race is thought to be unlikely.

A second race in Saudi Arabia – at the Qiddiya Circuit under construction on the outskirts of Riyadh – would also make rotational events more likely, particularly given Domenicali has insisted that the sport does not want to go over 24 events.

Stefano Domenicali has mooted rotational events in Europe for F1 in the future (Getty Images)

“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,” 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.

“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.”

The 2025 season – which features no new races from 2024 or 2023 – starts on 16 March with the Australian Grand Prix.