A huge change to the F1 2027 calendar is set to leave Aussie Formula 1 fans frustrated.
Initial indications are that the Melbourne Grand Prix will be replaced as the season opener by Bahrain.
It will be the first time that the season starts in Middle Eastern nation since the 2024 season.
The season’s schedule is still in its early stages and is being informed by the usual combination of contractual clauses, logistical patterns, and the timing of Ramadan.
With the holy month currently seeming to end on March 7, it opens the door for Bahrain to once again play host to the first race of the season.
Albert Park has been the site for the opening race of the season for the last two years.
Melbourne is set to be supplanted as the season opener for the 2027 Formula 1 season
Bahrain will return to it’s place as the first race of the season for the first time since 2024
Albert Park can be no later than the third round of the year, likely moving it to after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that will be second
That arrangement was actually a by-product of both a contract clause and Ramadan with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
However, with Ramadan set to conclude before next season, Bahrain will retake its place at the start of the season, according to PlanetF1.
When negotiating the most recent hosting clause for Melbourne, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation managed to secure five opening round slots.
They have already used two of those up in 2024 and 2025; the other three are set to be slotted in between 2027 and 2035.
Long-time Formula 1 fans would have been more familiar with the last two years’ scheduling.
Albert Park has been the host of the first race of the season for much of its time on the calendar.
Between 1996 and 2019, it had been in the first slot of the season on all but two occasions.
Australia lost its default position when the event was cancelled during the 2020 season.
That decision paved the way for Bahrain to become the new site of the curtain raiser.
Perhaps a more logical place for it, given that pre-season testing takes place around the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of the new year.
Under the newly established cadence of the F1 season, it would be no surprise to see Saudi Arabia moved up to the second race.
This would leave Australia in the third slot – under its current contractual agreement, Melbourne can be no later than the third race.
Last week it was confirmed that Turkey would be returning to the race calendar from the 2027 season.
A five-year deal has been agreed, meaning that all available 24 race slots are now filled.
Also among the changes for next year is the return of the Portugal Grand Prix.
That will take the space of the Barcelona, with the two tracks on a rotational deal that will see the Circuit de Catalunya and Portimao host every other year.
