Formula 1's 2027 calendar is still taking shape, and two circuits that feel like part of the sport's fabric are angling for a way back in. Barcelona and Imola are both in talks to return to the schedule next season — and, as reported by The Race and GPFans, the bigger prize they are chasing is pre-season testing, which could shift away from Bahrain if the Middle East rounds cannot go ahead. It is the latest twist in a calendar puzzle that has already lost two Gulf races this year.
Two Classic Tracks Knocking on the Door
Neither circuit is a stranger to the calendar. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted the Spanish Grand Prix for decades and remains a fixture of F1's European summer, while Imola's Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari — home of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix — is one of the most romantic venues on the schedule, a rollercoaster of a track that drivers consistently rank among their favourites. Both, though, have seen their long-term places come under pressure as F1 chases new markets and street races.
The squeeze is real. Formula 1 caps the calendar and has a queue of eager new promoters, with Madrid's Madring street circuit already arriving to take a Spanish slot and a string of government-backed races in the Middle East and Asia competing for room. Against that backdrop, Barcelona and Imola are positioning themselves as contingency options — ready-made, FIA Grade 1-certified circuits that can step in at short notice if a planned round falls through, exactly the role Formula 1 has leaned on before.
Pre-Season Testing Is the Real Prize
Behind the public fight for a race date sits a quieter, arguably more valuable contest: hosting pre-season testing. Winter testing is where teams unveil and shake down their new cars, and it is a logistical and commercial prize in its own right — guaranteeing a circuit weeks of F1 activity, global broadcast time and a place in the sport's opening storyline each year.
According to The Race, the current plan for 2027 is a single pre-season test at Bahrain on February 25–27, followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix and then the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But that plan is contingent on the Middle East rounds going ahead. If Bahrain cannot host, Barcelona is the frontrunner to take over the test — a role it knows well, having been F1's traditional test base for years. For a circuit fighting to keep its place in the F1 conversation, landing the test would be almost as significant as keeping its race.
Why the 2027 Calendar Is in Flux
The uncertainty is not hypothetical for F1 — it is fresh experience. The championship has already contended with Middle East rounds being unable to run, a situation we covered when the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were cancelled and the calendar had to be reshuffled. The same fragility is colouring the 2027 planning: if the Gulf rounds cannot be held, the season needs a backup opener and backup test venue, and the championship does not want to be caught short again.
That is where the European contingency plan comes in. Should Bahrain and Saudi Arabia be unable to host in 2027, the door opens for both a race-date return and a testing shift — with Barcelona the leading candidate to absorb the testing duties and Imola pushing to reclaim its lost weekend. Malaysia, which returned to the calendar this season, is meanwhile reported to be on standby as an alternative season opener if Bahrain is unavailable.
The Bigger Calendar Puzzle
Zoom out and the Barcelona-Imola push is one piece of a much larger board. Formula 1 is simultaneously absorbing Madrid's arrival, managing an expanded grid with Cadillac joining as an eleventh team, and weighing how many races the season can sustain without overloading personnel. Every contingency slot handed to a classic European track is a slot not available to a new market — and vice versa.
For traditionalists, the prospect of two heritage circuits fighting their way back will be welcome. For the circuits themselves, even a conditional return is leverage: staying in the conversation keeps sponsors, local government backing and upgrading budgets alive. You can see how the whole 2026 season is shaping the sport's direction in our 2026 regulations explainer and mid-season review.
What Happens Next
Calendars at this stage are drafts, not decrees. The final 2027 schedule is typically ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council late in the preceding year, and the contingency arrangements — who is on standby, where testing lands — tend to firm up over the autumn as commercial and geopolitical realities settle. Expect more movement before anything is locked in.
For now, the message from Barcelona and Imola is clear: they have not gone quietly, and they are ready if F1 picks up the phone. Track every confirmed round and the latest schedule on our 2026 race calendar and Race Hub as the 2027 picture develops.
Reporting: The Race, GPFans. Original post via @f1wow. Calendar and testing plans remain provisional pending FIA confirmation.