Formula E delays Jeddah ePrix and reshuffles 2027 calendar

The championship is on the move before a wheel has even turned in anger. As Motorsport.com España reports, the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East between the United States and Israel against Iran has forced Formula E to delay the start of its new season, pushing back the opening round in Saudi Arabia.

The Jeddah ePrix, which was originally scheduled to begin next month, has now been postponed to April 16 and 17, 2027. Despite the shift, it remains a double-header featuring two qualifying sessions and two races. The decision was reached collectively through continuous dialogue between the series, host partner SELA, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and local public authorities, with series officials noting the move preserves the full integrity and scope of the championship while maintaining the total number of races.

Unfortunately, this creates a domino effect across the rest of the schedule. The ePrix in Sanya, China, which was previously locked in for April 17, has been dragged forward by two weeks to April 3, 2027, landing right between the Hainan forum and its annual trade fair. Organizers were able to shuffle the Chinese round thanks to what was previously a gap of more than a month between the race in São Paulo on March 13 and the trip to Sanya, leaving just two weeks of breathing room after the Brazilian round.

Now, even though pre-season testing is set to run next week from November 16 to 20 at the Circuito del Jarama, the entire racing action will play out inside 2027. Season 13—the landmark debut of the Gen4 machines that will completely alter the racing and the very nature of the world championship—will now run from January to July of next year.

Through it all, the machines and the calendar must adapt to a turbulent geopolitical reality. While other motorsport series navigate their own regional shifts, Formula E has drawn a clear line to protect its competitors and logistics as it builds toward a massive new era.