F1 Races Get Shorter in 2027, Then Return to 305km in 2028
Formula 1 grands prix will be 15km shorter in 2027, and the cut is designed to last only one year. The FIA, the sport's governing body, has published its 2027 rules, and they include a clause that restores the 305km maximum race distance from 2028.
The new limit is 290km, or 180.2 miles, down from 305km (189.5 miles). It affects only a handful of races where fuel use is heaviest, not the whole calendar.
The reason is fuel. F1's engines change for 2027, and the balance between the petrol engine and the electric motor shifts again. In 2026 the hybrid power units split almost evenly between combustion and electrical power. By 2028 the split moves in two steps to 60-40 in favour of combustion, so the cars will burn more fuel.
That creates a problem for the teams' chassis. The fuel tank is part of the chassis, and its size cannot be changed. Some teams had wanted to carry their current chassis into 2027 to save money, but there was concern that those tanks would not be big enough to get through some grands prix. Shorter races mean less fuel needed, so the distance was cut.
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton has argued against the shortening. He says races should be longer, not shorter, because the cars are physically easier to drive than ever. Hamilton's point is that modern cars put less strain on drivers, so there is no physical reason to trim the race.
The 2026 engine rules have drawn criticism for a different reason. Critics say the near 50-50 split between petrol and electric power has reduced how much a driver's skill can shape a race. The fuel-driven change for 2027 is a response to the engine rules, not to that debate.
For fans, the practical effect is simple. Most 2027 races will run at the usual length, and a few of the most fuel-hungry events will be a little shorter. Drivers and teams will race to the same rules as everyone else, and the 305km limit returns the following year.
The 2026 regulations also set a maximum total race duration of three hours. The FIA's 2026 Sporting Regulations, Section B, Issue 05, dated 27 February 2026, keeps that three-hour cap and allows the maximum gap between F1 cars to be increased to twenty car lengths.
The FIA's World Motor Sport Council approved the changes in June 2026, when it ratified F1 rule changes for 2027 and 2028. Those measures covered power unit supply, the management of reconnaissance laps and race distances at selected circuits. The 2027 cut was first announced in September, and the full set of published rules followed this week.
