Bizarre F1 rumor: Four races in four weeks due to a calendar shift?

The photographer says he was initially skeptical when he saw rumors about the Abu Dhabi GP possibly moving a week later to December 13. That would mean that the F1 race in Saudi Arabia takes place on December 6. To check, he visited a website for booking hotel rooms and searched for availability in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi around those dates.

There, he claims he noticed something unusual. Hotels in both Jeddah and Abu Dhabi were initially still available at regular prices, well below the usual rates during a race weekend. He even decided to reserve rooms. When he checked again later, the situation was completely different. According to the photographer, several hotels were suddenly fully booked for the relevant weekends. He took it as a sign that something is happening behind the scenes.

The photographer’s approach is a remarkable way to spread a rumor. Hotel availability can change for numerous reasons and, on its own, says little about an official calendar change. Moreover, GPblog can confirm that the rumor is not true. The FIA gala is also set to take place on 12 December.

Such a change would also be very odd in the context of the current schedule. At the moment, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi already form the last triple-header of the season. By inserting Jeddah in between, you would create a run of four races in a row. That’s on top of the fact that a triple-header is already considered demanding—especially this particular one, where the entire F1 circus has to move from Las Vegas to Qatar within a week.

There are also practical and logistical factors. Tickets have already been sold and travel booked for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, both by fans and by teams, drivers, and staff. Implementing such a change at this stage of the season would have significant logistical and commercial consequences.

The rumors are therefore mainly based on speculation—and a vivid imagination—by someone who is interpreting a simple observation a bit too hastily as confirmation.