Fans in the grandstands will get a shorter grand prix from 2027. The standard race distance drops from 305km to 290km, the FIA confirmed after the Formula 1 Commission met at its offices in London on Monday. That translates to two or three fewer laps per race, depending on the circuit.
The meeting was co-chaired by FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
The change is not cosmetic. It is a direct consequence of the technical package arriving in 2027, when the internal combustion engine takes on a bigger share of the workload and fuel flow rises to match. Cars built to the 2026 fuel-tank specification would run dry over the current distance, and rather than push teams into a fresh round of chassis and tank work under the budget cap, the commission cut the race.
The FIA tied the reduction explicitly to the 2027 power unit rewrite: the shorter distance was approved “In line with the refinements to the Power Unit regulations to be introduced in 2027 on fuel flow.” Monaco, already run over roughly 260km, sits outside the standard requirement and is unaffected.
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The three-hour ceiling is gone
The event-length rules have been rewritten too. F1 currently runs with two clocks: a two-hour cap on actual racing time, and a three-hour ceiling on the total window from lights out to checkered flag, red-flag stoppages included. From 2027 the three-hour ceiling disappears, while the two-hour racing cap stays.
The stated purpose is to keep spectators from being sent home short. The changes were introduced, the FIA said in the same statement, “to ensure that the spectators have the best possible chance to enjoy a full race if disruptions occur.”
In practice, that means a race stopped mid-way with a long clean-up could resume and complete the balance of the two hours of racing, without the total clock cutting the afternoon short. A defined hard stop time for racing activity will be introduced in its place. The commission also approved more flexibility to extend interrupted free practice sessions.
Gearbox homologation dropped
Suppliers get a second win. Gearbox homologation is being removed from 2027, following consultation with the manufacturer working group and a recommendation from the Sporting Advisory Committee. The decision preserves supplier development freedom into the new power unit era, rather than freezing designs on their 2026 form.
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The rest of the package is smaller: minor adjustments to the 2026 Sporting and Financial Regulations, and further minor tweaks to the 2027 Technical Regulations.
None of it is final yet. Every change agreed on Monday is subject to ratification by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, with the WMSC vote scheduled for 15 October.
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