Formula 1 to reinstate 305km race distance in 2028

The FIA has confirmed that Formula 1 grands prix will revert to the standard 305km maximum distance in 2028 after the maximum length was shortened to 290km for the 2027 season. The 2027 reduction cut the maximum from 305km (189.5 miles) to 290km (180.2 miles).

The 15km reduction was introduced because of a quirk surrounding changes to the engine rules for next year. New hybrid engines introduced this year feature a near 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power and have been criticised for reducing the impact of driver skill. The power split will be changed, in two steps, to 60-40 by 2028, enabling drivers to have maximum power for longer. That increase in available power will lead cars to use more fuel.

The prospect of higher fuel consumption became a concern when some teams indicated they wanted to carry their chassis over into next year to save money. Because the fuel tank is integrated within the chassis and its size could not be changed, those teams might not have been able to finish grands prix with their existing fuel tanks. That technical constraint prompted the temporary reduction in maximum race distance for 2027.

The adjustment to race length affects only a handful of events where fuel consumption is heaviest. The sport's governing body, the FIA, published the 2027 rules this week and those regulations included a section for 2028 that contains a clause removing the 2027 reduction and reinstating the 305km maximum distance.

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton had previously objected to the shortening of race distances. Britain's Hamilton, 41, said: "The races should be longer because the races are physically easier than ever before. So shortening, I don't think, makes much sense. "This is supposed to be the sport that's the most physically demanding - mentally and physically. There are some that are just so hot and ultimately you are on the edge. Like Singapore is incredibly hot and demanding. "But that's where I think you want to see athletes - just right on the edge, right? Right at the edge of their performance, having to actually push their bodies further because that's what this sport is about - pushing, pushing the levels and pushing the boundaries."

The FIA's published 2027 rules therefore both prescribe the shorter maximum distance for next season and set out the reversal for 2028, coinciding with the planned two-step change to a 60-40 power split by 2028.