Could we still see a 24-race F1 season? Cancelled races could be rescheduled

Isack Hadjar, Lewis Hamilton, Generic, Bahrain, 2025, test — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Could we still see a 24-race F1 season? Cancelled races could be rescheduled

Both of April's races were cancelled by F1

By Sam Cook.

Sunday 10 May 2026 21:01

F1 are considering adding more races to the 2026 F1 calendar, following the cancellations of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Both races were cancelled due to the war in the Middle East, meaning there was no F1 race in April.

It means that 2026 is currently looking like being a 22-race season, rather than the 24-race year that was originally scheduled.

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Following the release of F1 rights holder Liberty Media's first quarter earnings - in which they saw a 53 per cent increase in revenue specifically from F1 compared to this time in 2025 - CEO Derek Chang hinted that there could be a possibility to reschedule at least one of the races, while also expressing that the wellbeing of F1 team members and paddock personnel comes first.

Reports in Italian media suggested that both races could be shoehorned in near the end of the season, creating an unprecedented year-ending quadruple-header.

That would place it in between the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, creating a triple-header.

F1's calendar headache

Given Liberty Media's positive first quarter financial results, you can understand why they'd be keen to make sure this season is a 23 or 24-race season, rather than the currently scheduled 22.

But Liberty, F1 and the FIA are resolute in their people first approach, not only ensuring that the venues are 100 per cent safe for teams, paddock personnel and fans to travel to, but also trying to prevent burnout for the human beings in the paddock with a tight schedule already in place for September-December.

While the cancellations have altered the number of championship points available to teams and drivers this year, they have also altered the sporting regulations when it comes to power unit rules.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) periods that were set out by the FIA before the start of the season would be altered due to the two race cancellations.

ADUO is designed to help power unit manufacturers who have struggled to develop a reliable, fast engine during the 2026 regulation changes, giving them time to bring upgrades to their power units.

The three periods were initially meant to fall after races six, 12 and 18 in the schedule.

But now, as a result of race six being further in the future than planned due to the two race cancellations, the FIA have tweaked their regulations to state that the first ADUO period will now take place after race five (the Canadian Grand Prix later this month).

The second ADUO period will now be after the 11th race weekend (Hungary), while the third and final period will be after race 18 (Mexico).

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix Saudi Arabian Grand Prix