Formula 1 to Restore 305km Race Distance in 2028

Formula 1 grands prix will return to their traditional 305-kilometre (189.5-mile) maximum race distance in 2028, reversing a temporary reduction introduced for the 2027 season.

The sport's governing body, the FIA, published updated regulations confirming that the maximum race length will be shortened by 15 kilometres to 290 kilometres (180.2 miles) for a single year in 2027. The temporary cut was created to resolve technical challenges resulting from shifts in hybrid power unit rules, preventing teams from needing immediate, costly chassis redesigns.

Monaco will remain the sole exception on the calendar, keeping its shorter 260-kilometre format.

The temporary distance reduction addresses complications stemming from the hybrid power units introduced under current regulations. Criticism over reduced driver skill reliance prompted the FIA and Formula 1 to adjust the power ratio, shifting power generation progressively back toward internal combustion engines:

2026 Ratio: 53% combustion engine to 47% electrical power.

2027 Ratio: Shifting to a 58/42 split.

2028 Target: Moving to a 60/40 ratio.

To support the increased reliance on combustion output, regulators raised the permitted fuel flow limit, causing cars to burn fuel at a faster rate. Because several teams planned to carry existing chassis designs over into 2027 to save money under cost cap restrictions, their existing fuel tanks, which are built directly into the chassis structure, would have been too small to complete full 305-kilometre distances at heavier fuel-consumption tracks.

Shortening the 290-kilometre races by two to four laps in 2027 gives constructors an extra year to engineer larger fuel tanks and adjust chassis layouts ahead of the 2028 season. Clause Article B2.5.2 in the 2027 regulations formally reinstates the standard 305-kilometre distance for 2028, aligning with the final 60/40 power split step.

The initial decision to shorten race distances drew mixed reactions from prominent drivers across the grid.

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton opposed reducing race lengths, arguing that shorter events detract from the physical demands of the sport:

"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."

On the other hand, reigning world champion Lando Norris viewed the temporary cut as a "We need [that] to make our sport better, and rely more on driving than who can look after a battery best. It's not that you push harder. I mean, you're just not having to think about the battery as often as you are this year, which is what we want as drivers."

"It's a short-term compromise, I think. Then we can go back to the longer races and the races that we've always had in Formula One. In a few years time, [we’ll have] more fuel again, and bigger tanks, and all of that, but it's a compromise we have to make to suit all teams."