A MOOTED date shift for the Australian Grand Prix has the potential to shake up the 2027 Supercars calendar.
Planet F1 has placed the 2027 Formula 1 season to launch in Bahrain, a position it held in 2006, 2010, and from 2021 to 2024.
With Ramadan concluding in the first week of March, a prospective race date could be March 14.
For F1, opening the season in the Middle East fits in well logistically following pre-season testing in the region, with an Asian swing after the Australian visit – this year that included China and Japan.
A paired race on the Arabian Peninsula would bump Melbourne to the third race on the schedule, with a potential Melbourne race day on April 4th, allowing for a week of travel from the Northern Hemisphere.
The Grands Prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this year were cancelled following ongoing conflicts in the area, leaving the F1 schedule at 22 races. Those two events were scheduled to run back-to-back in April, after the Japanese Grand Prix.
In F1’s most recent agreement with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Albert Park is set to host the season opener on at least five occasions through to 2035, with two of those having been 2025 and ’26.
Where does this leave Supercars?
In 2026, the season opener in Sydney fell on the weekend of February 20-22, with the AGP contested on March 5-8.
The trip across the Tasman Sea to Taupō meant that the opening leg of the New Zealand double-header fell on April 10-11.
The AGP has fallen in April previously – in 2022, the meet was contested as late as April 7-10.
In that case, the Supercars season opener in Sydney was held on March 5-6, then the championship visited Tasmania on March 26-27, with the fourth round in Perth held from April 30 – May 1.
The trip to New Zealand that season came in September as a prelude to the Bathurst 1000.
Another piece of the puzzle is the Supercars-owned Bathurst 12 Hour, with no date currently announced for the once-around-the-clock classic.
In 2026, that event fell on February 13-15.
The date for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix was confirmed in June last year, while the first version of the Supercars season calendar dropped in late October.
Of the 14 events, 6 have solid places scheduling-wise.
Darwin and Townsville typically fall in June to July to take advantage of favourable northern winter weather, while The Bend 500 has found a home in September.
October features the Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 500, while the season will once again be rounded out by the Adelaide Grand Final.
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