From 2027 the three-hour limit on an F1 race, measured from start to finish, is going. In its place comes a hard-stop time set for each event, while the two-hour limit on actual running stays. The change was approved by the F1 Commission at its meeting in London on Monday 21 September, and the aim is to improve the chances of spectators seeing a full race when rain or a crash causes a long stoppage.
The current rules: the clock runs even when the cars don't
The current regulations run two clocks. One covers two hours of actual racing, the other a total of three hours from the start to the chequered flag, stoppages included. According to Motorsport.com the three-hour total limit has applied since 2021. The problem is the second clock. It keeps ticking while the cars sit in the pitlane under a red flag, so a long suspension can end a race on the total limit before the two hours of running have been completed. Grande Prêmio summed it up as the three-hour countdown continuing during red flags and potentially ending a race before two hours of competitive running were complete.
Races that actually ended that way
The 2022 Japanese GP is the prime example. According to Wikipedia, Carlos Sainz's crash on lap 2 in heavy rain brought out the red flag, and the race resumed behind the safety car at 16:15 local time, but only 28 of the scheduled 53 laps were run before the three-hour clock expired and it finished under green. Despite falling short of 75% distance, full points were awarded because the wording applied reduced points only to races that were suspended and not resumed. That loophole was closed in the 2023 rules.
The 2021 Belgian GP is a case where a workaround was used to stop the clock. According to F1.com's report at the time, the race, due to start at 15:00, was delayed twice by rain, and the formation laps behind the safety car began at 15:25, but spray and visibility problems brought out another red flag. The rules required the race to start within three hours of its scheduled start time, so the stewards invoked force majeure under Article 11.9.3.o to "suspend" the race at 17:00 and stop the clock. At the time of that report, completing 75% distance already "seemed impossible".
The 2027 approach: just fix the finishing time
Only the total clock changes. The FIA statement says the three-hour limit from start to finish, including suspensions, is removed, a hard-stop time by which all race activity must end is introduced, and the two-hour limit on actual running is kept. In other words, however long a red flag lasts, the full two hours of running can be completed as long as the race resumes before the hard stop. Grande Prêmio explained that hard-stop times will be set event by event according to local conditions and operational considerations, giving promoters and broadcasters a fixed end time and race control flexibility during stoppages. In a situation like Suzuka 2022, the running time left after a restart would be set by the hard stop rather than the three-hour clock. Of course, at a circuit where the sun is setting and the hard stop is set early, the outcome might not be very different.
| Item | Up to 2026 | 2027 (if WMSC approves) |
|---|---|---|
| Actual running time | 2 hours max | 2 hours max (unchanged) |
| Total, start to finish | 3 hours incl. stoppages | Scrapped |
| What ends the race | Three-hour clock | Event-specific hard-stop time |
| Practice stoppages | — | More scope to extend sessions |
In the same spirit, there will be more scope to extend practice sessions after stoppages. The same meeting also approved cutting the 2027 race distance from 305km to 290km and scrapping gearbox homologation. All of the decisions still need approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC). Saturday's race in Baku will, naturally, still be run under the current three-hour rule.
Sources
- FIA — Formula 1 Commission Meeting – September 21, 2026 Media Statement
- Formula1.com — Regulatory changes for 2026 and 2027 agreed at latest F1 Commission meeting
- Grande Prêmio — F1 removes three-hour race limit and abandons gearbox homologation for 2027
- Scuderia Fans — F1 2027 changes explained: shorter races, new stoppage rules and gearbox freedom
- Motorsport.com — F1 race distance: Why 305km and what changes in 2027
- Wikipedia — 2022 Japanese Grand Prix
- Formula1.com — Belgian GP stewards push back time limit for the race after heavy rain