The idea of introducing rotational races to the Formula 1 calendar has been under consideration for some time, as European venues struggle to retain their spots, while America and the Middle East continue to expand their presence with multiple new races.
In a recent Liberty Media investors call, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirmed that news regarding the possibility of some rotational European Grand Prix was imminent; “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.”
As Formula 1’s global presence expands, more venues are eager to join the calendar – speculation is intensifying about returns to South Africa and Malaysia, with Stefano Domenicali also expressing interest in bringing F1 back to Argentina.
While the current Concorde Agreement permits up to 25 races per season, Domenicali has stated that “24 is the balanced number that we feel is right.” Now that the F1 calendar has reached that ‘balanced number’ of races a season, Formula One Management (FOM) is working to strike a balance between the increasing number of races and the growing demand for grands prix in new locations.
The apparent solution is a rotational model, where some venues could host a grand prix on a bi-annual basis. While it is still unclear which circuits might adopt this schedule, five major European tracks – Monaco, Monza, Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, and Imola – are set to see their contracts with F1 expire at the end of 2025, making them potential candidates for this rotation.
“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 have as a system and also to leverage the growth on the market that we can see potential that will be beneficial for us to grow even further our business.”
This rotational grand prix idea for European venues raises concerns, particularly as some rely on the revenue of annual F1 events and so a shift to a bi-annual model could cause them significant financial strain.
Some European race promoters (such as Silverstone, the Red Bull Ring and the Hungaroring) have also recently signed long-standing contracts lasting well into the 2030s. Whether the prospect of becoming a bi-annual event has been already written into these updated contracts is unknown, but FOM may need to make significant alterations if not to accommodate this model – a reality that these values are likely to find deeply disappointing. Unless of course, these races are ‘safe’ from the prospect.
