F1 broadcaster will miss first Grand Prix in 28 years as statement issued

Broadcaster and journalist Tom Clarkson will miss a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time in 28 years next month.

Clarkson is perhaps best known to F1 fans as the host of the weekly paddock press conferences, with the broadcaster asking official questions to team principals and drivers alike.

He has previously worked on F1 for BBC, Sky Sports and most notably Channel 4 - but will now miss a Grand Prix for the first time since all the way back in 1998.

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Long-standing F1 broadcaster to skip Grand Prix

As well as his above roles, Clarkson is also the host of F1's 'Beyond The Grid' podcast, where he interviews both current and legendary figures from across the world of Formula 1.

In August, he interviewed Damon Hill in a special episode to mark the 30th anniversary of Hill's first and only Drivers' Championship triumph with Williams.

And it has now been announced that Clarkson and Hill will embark on a five-show tour of Australia and New Zealand to present 'An Evening with Damon Hill'.

The tour clashes with the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix, which will be hosted by Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

It was initially anticipated that the Grand Prix, which is set for October 4, could be cancelled entirely before the FIA agreed a deal to bring Sepang back to the calendar for the first time since 2017.

"Damon and I went and did this tour in the UK back in January," Clarkson told Speedcafe. "We did nine dates, top to bottom, Scotland to the bottom of England.

"And we had so much fun doing it that the organisers, Fane, said: 'Guys, that was amazing. Would you ever think about perhaps taking it abroad?' And we were like, 'Yeah, sure!'

"Since all those plans were put in place, of course the Bahrain Grand Prix is taking place at Sepang in Malaysia that middle weekend, which has slightly scuppered things. But we are committed to the tour. Nothing will change on the tour."

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What are the longest F1 race streaks?

The packed nature of the F1 race calendar in the modern day means that a number of consecutive race streaks have had to be broken in recent years.

Sky Sports F1 lead commentator David Croft, for instance, was present for every Grand Prix between 2007 and 2024, but now misses a small number of Grands Prix per year. He is replaced by Harry Benjamin whenever he is absent from races.

In terms of current drivers, Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most consecutive race starts, with 265 entries in total. The Mercedes driver would have topped the list, which is led by Rubens Barrichello (325 entries, 1993-2011), had he not missed the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix due to testing positive for COVID-19.

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Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz will overtake Hamilton next season, as they are on 247 consecutive race starts. Verstappen has recently signed a new contract to stay at Red Bull until 2030, while Sainz has committed his future to Williams on a new multi-year deal.