A lot has been made about the direction Formula 1’s calendar has been heading in recent times. 24 races, a growing number of street venues and traditional circuits under threat are all facets of heavy debate – so what does the perfect F1 calendar look like?
The following is purely hypothetical and in places probably unrealistic, but what the heck, here goes…
Methodology
Like the 2024 roster, there’s been a focus on keeping races geographically grouped on the calendar to the best of this reporter’s ability (GCSE Geography was many moons ago).
Unlike the 2024 calendar, there are only 20 rounds and each country featured has just one GP in a bid to bring back old favourites to the calendar and also mitigate fatigue in having too many races. Also, no Sprints – sorry, but this has been written by a traditionalist, so feel free to imagine a brand-new V10 formula racing around this calendar as well (if you wish).
Round 1 – Australian Grand Prix
The opening round brings with it the first change from the current F1 calendar, with Albert Park in Melbourne reclaiming the opening round of the season from Bahrain.
The reasoning is simple, the Australian Grand Prix brings packed, enthusiastic crowds to a unique venue that has been on the calendar for nearly three decades.
Albert Park can throw up a classic under the right conditions (changeable weather mostly) but is often not the most exciting F1 racing venue. So, a reliance on F1 fever after an off-season and a party atmosphere will help mitigate any on-track woes for this hypothetical season opener.
Round 2 – Bahrain Grand Prix
Bahrain retains its place on the calendar, displaced to Round 2 by the Australian GP.
With its plethora of DRS zones offering ample overtaking opportunities and its unique layout and track surface offering up a challenge for tyres and brakes, the Sakhir International Circuit can put on a good F1 spectacle, plus, the absence of other Middle Eastern GP venues in this calendar (due to uninspiring track layouts0 means Bahrain will be representing the region.
Round 3 – Japanese Grand Prix
After a street circuit and oddball layout in Australia and Bahrain, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka swoops in at Round 3 to offer fans the first chance to witness F1 cars pushed right to the limit. Like the 2024 calendar, Japan has moved from its old autumnal slot to springtime to hopefully reduce the risk of rain and be grouped with other races in the Far East.
Beyond that, Suzuka’s inclusion on any F1 calendar, hypothetical or otherwise, doesn’t need to be questioned, with the circuit penning an extension through to 2029 recently.
Round 4 – Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore’s Marina Bay Circuit keeps its place on the calendar and has been brought forward to the opening segment of the season.
The nighttime atmosphere of this event does a lot of the heavy lifting regarding its inclusion here, as does the high humidity challenge posed to the drivers. Also, Marina Bay’s ability to throw up a unique winner amid F1 dominance makes it a worthy addition to the GP circus.
Round 5 – Malaysian Grand Prix
F1’s visit to the Asian continent comes to an end with Round 5 and the triumphant return of the Sepang International Circuit. A Hermann Tilke masterpiece that made its debut on the F1 calendar in 1999, when a certain Michael Schumacher made a return after a broken leg to outqualify the entire field by 0.947s after a six-race absence.
Like Schumacher, Malaysia’s Sepang circuit was built different, with stunning grandstands adorning the massive back straight, connected by a tight hairpin to an equally long start/finish straight. In addition, the tight opening chicane invited action at every race start as drivers attempted to outmanoeuvre one another and the second half of the lap is a glorious blend of fast sweeping corners, sprinkled with inclines, declines and the odd harsh braking zone.
A well-loved circuit, with changeable weather that offers the potential to throw a spanner in the works, it’s a distinct shame that it’s been absent since 2017.
Round 6 – Monaco Grand Prix
Some would say that F1 has outgrown the streets of Monaco, but 2023’s edition of the highly lauded race was an entertaining affair, featuring an enthralling battle for pole between Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and a race mixed with intrigue thanks to changeable conditions.
Considered F1’s ‘Jewel in the Crown,’ Monaco’s history in F1 goes back to the series’ inception in 1950 and was the very first Formula 1 race that Ferrari contested.
History is on the principality’s side, as is the fact its winner’s trophy is one of the most sought-after amongst the F1 driver fraternity. It may not produce classic racing, but Monaco stays.
Round 7 – Spanish Grand Prix
Here’s an unlikely one. Our European leg of the season continues with the Spanish Grand Prix, but at which circuit? Jerez, Madrid (shudders), Barcelona? No, instead the circuit of choice is one familiar to motorcycle fans, Motorland Aragon.
A motorsport complex with surrounding event and leisure facilities, the Aragon circuit is situated on the outskirts of the city of Alcañiz.
The circuit itself is an approximately three-hour drive southwest of Barcelona, but it is its layout which makes it an intriguing proposition for modern F1. Designed by Tilke with consultancy from Pedro de la Rosa, Aragon is 5.345 km long, with a 1.726 km back straight perfect for DRS manoeuvres and 20m wide to allow plenty of room for modern F1 cars.
At its narrowest, the circuit is 15m wide and features 50m of elevation through its 18 corners in FIA specification, with plenty of those bends capable of showing off the high-speed cornering ability of F1. Often used by MotoGP, the circuit also had a period of hosting the Formula Renault World Series from 2009 to 2017.
Round 8 – Austrian Grand Prix
Back on familiar ground with the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. A simple yet effective F1 layout, with its multitude of DRS zones encouraging plenty of overtaking.
Due to its simplicity, there’s not a lot to dislike about the Red Bull Ring, although old-school fans will miss the original and longer Österrichring configuration. But at least the Red Bull Ring isn’t the Zeltweg circuit (look that one up, it’s eye-opening).
Round 9 – British Grand Prix
Fast becoming one of the highest-attended races year on year, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is widely considered a must-have on any F1 calendar. No disagreements here.
Amid the dominant Red Bull years of late, Silverstone has offered up exciting racing, proving the good that can come out of traditional circuits.
Plonked right in the epicentre of the majority of the grid, with several teams able to commute to the circuit in an hour or less (Aston Martin is next door to the circuit, Mercedes a town away in Brackley), Silverstone is the sport’s birthplace, with the inaugural Formula 1 World Championship race held in the Northamptonshire circuit in 1950.
What’s more, Maggotts and Becketts remain to be one of the most iconic sequences of corners in F1, and cars will continue to blitz through that stretch until 2034.
Round 10 – Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungaroring should remain a fixture on the F1 calendar purely due to its effectively cheap ticket admission compared to other venues, ranking in the top five for cheapest three-day admission according to F1 Destinations.
Beyond that, the circuit has thrown up some classic moments, such as Damon Hill’s would-be victory for Arrows in 1997, Jenson Button’s remarkable debut win in 2006 or Esteban Ocon’s unlikely maiden victory in 2021.
The Hungaroring has thrown up further drama in the past two seasons with Max Verstappen’s charge to victory from 10th on the grid after George Russell’s surprise pole position in 2022 and Lewis Hamilton’s equally surprising pole lap a year later.
Round 11 – Belgian Grand Prix
To the average motorsport fan, Spa-Francorchamps is one of the great F1 venues. The same opinion doesn’t appear to be held by Formula One Management, with the threat of Spa dropping from the calendar an almost constant reality.
Loved by drivers and fans alike, there’s not much that needs to be said to promote why Spa should remain in F1, as long as it doesn’t rain too much.
Round 12 – South African Grand Prix
Before our hypothetical calendar adjourns for a summer break, it’s time for a return to South Africa and Kyalami to end Africa’s three-decade-long wait for the resumption of F1 action.
Talk of F1 returning to Kyalami has gathered momentum in recent years, with the circuit formerly holding a long relationship with the series, hosting races across two periods, 1967-1985 and 1992-1993. Africa remains F1’s only un-visited continent, this hypothetical calendar seeks to change that reality.
Also, it’s worth noting that Kyalami’s 16-turn, 4.522 km layout is anti-clockwise, helping it stand out amongst the majority of clockwise racing circuits.
Round 13 – Dutch Grand Prix
The return of the Dutch Grand Prix to the F1 calendar in 2021 has been wrapped in the nation’s love of World Champion Max Verstappen.
Zandvoort has quickly become a circuit with one of the most raucous and entertaining atmospheres of the year and its inclusion here could be based on that alone.
However, a circuit swamped in banked curves has proved a hit with the drivers and has thrown up some exciting races for the passionate orange-covered fans to enjoy.
Round 14 – German Grand Prix
The absence of the German Grand Prix from F1 is a shame, not least due to the sport’s legacy of German F1 superstars such as Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, but because its F1 circuits are a delight (discounting Avus, again, google it).
For this calendar, Hockenheim is the circuit of choice thanks to its stadium complex of grandstands tailor-made for a modern F1 audience. However, unlikely as it is, wouldn’t it be nice for F1 to roar into the Hockenheim woods once again?
This calendar seeks to bring that dream to life and Hockenheim’s inclusion is based on the foundation that this forgotten section is restored, mainly to allow for a decent pair of DRS zones beyond merely nostalgia’s sake.
Round 15 – Italian Grand Prix
Monza holds the accolade of hosting the most F1 races at 73 and counting. The Italian Temple of Speed is undergoing an infrastructure revamp to cope with the modern demands of F1, but like Silverstone and Spa, this is a circuit considered untouchable amongst F1 fans, along with Monaco via a global fan survey conducted in 2021 by F1, Motorsport Network and Nielsen Sports.
Entwined with Ferrari’s long-standing history in F1, Monza sees the Tifosi come out in full force, helping produce iconic track invasion moments when a driver in red stands upon the podium reaching across the start/finish straight.
The Ferrari 1-2 in 1988, Schumacher’s victory in ’96 and Charles Leclerc’s 2019 triumph have etched themselves into the history books of moments of pure F1 passion and the possibility of more moments such as these stems from Monza’s continued inclusion on the F1 calendar.
Round 16 – French Grand Prix
With two French Grand Prix winners (Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon) driving for a partially French outfit (Alpine), it is odd that the French GP dropped off of the F1 calendar at the end of 2022. This could partly be down to the uninspiring Paul Ricard location, a circuit with so many layouts and such boldly painted run-off areas that it could be considered an eyesore.
Instead, this French GP revival would see F1 race at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit, which would need bumping up from an FIA Grade 2 to a Grade 1 license to meet F1 standards, but given Le Mans’ history of hosting the biggest race in the world on the Circuit de la Sarthe configuration, it’s about time F1 got a proportioned slice of the action.
Round 17 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix
The European run of races ends at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan. Loved by some, and considered a vehicle for blatant chaos by others, there’s no doubting that Baku’s street circuit is unique. With its super wide start/finish straight down to the single-file corner around the old castle, Baku has a bit of everything and is capable of throwing up drama in spades.
Here’s a city-based jaunt to set the season up for an America’s finale.
Round 18 – Canadian Grand Prix
Don’t worry, Montreal hasn’t been forgotten, just moved. The current placement of the Canadian Grand Prix, nestled in between a clutch of European races appears to be an unnecessary cause of prolonged air travel time between races. The following instalments in this calendar see Canada fit into a neat trio of races in the Americas.
From hosting the longest Grand Prix in history to claiming victims via its wall of champions, Montreal has earned status amongst the history books of F1.
Its layout is a challenge for the drivers and a spectacle for the watching fans trackside making it a popular venue that needn’t be cast out in a calendar, real or otherwise.
Round 19 – United States Grand Prix
The United States has been trimmed down to just one F1 event in this calendar and it could only be one candidate that would remain after the culling.
That’s right, the Miami International Autodrome. No. Obviously, it is The Circuit of the Americas, affectionately known as COTA, in Austin, Texas.
A venue that attracts larger crowds with each passing event and a rare modern marvel (relatively modern since it debuted in 2021) in the fact that it boasts an impressive track configuration.
Like Silverstone, Austin has been able to conjure interesting races amid the dominance of Verstappen in 2022 and ’23. A large-scale ‘traditional’ F1 venue that has quickly settled into most fans’ good books in its 12-year stint on the calendar to date.
Round 20 – Sao Paulo Grand Prix
For the Millenial F1 fan, Interlagos in Sao Paulo is the classic F1 finale venue.
Schumacher’s last-gasp fight for title glory against Fernando Alonso in 2006, Kimi Raikkonen’s championship triumph over Hamilton and Alonso a year later, Hamilton’s last corner title win in ’08, Button’s charge through the field in ’09 and Alonso’s deathly stare after losing the title to Vettel in 2012 are etched into many F1 fans’ consciousness.
Interlagos packs a punch when it comes to dramatic F1 racing and its history of producing exciting GP narratives means it is the only way a season should end.
COTA debuted in 2012, not 2021. It’s a great circuit layout. Thanks Tavo Hellmund! But the track itself is a mess now after so much neglect by the guy who booted Hellmund from the deal.
And pairing Canada and COTA doesn’t really work, weather-wise. When it’s warm enough in Montreal, it’s way too hot in Austin.