Race of Champions brings F1 stars to Wellington in 2027

The Race of Champions will make its New Zealand debut in Wellington next summer, bringing Formula 1 champions Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas together with Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon.

Hnry Stadium will host the two-night event on January 9 and 10, 2027. The venue will be transformed with a temporary asphalt circuit, allowing drivers from very different branches of motorsport to race head-to-head in identical machinery.

That equal-car format is the Race of Champions’ party trick. It removes most of the technical advantages normally separating Formula 1, rallying and touring cars, leaving drivers to adapt quickly as they swap between vehicles during short knockout races.

Organisers describe the Wellington meeting as a two-day event with non-stop entertainment, 16 drivers and one eventual Champion of Champions on Sunday night.

Four-time F1 world champion Vettel heads the first group of confirmed competitors. He will be joined by 10-time Grand Prix winner Bottas, reigning Supercars champion Chaz Mostert and Paddon, New Zealand’s most successful international rally driver. A total of 16 drivers is expected, with the remainder to be announced closer to the event.

Mostert was one of the stars of the 2025 Race of Champions in Sydney, defeating Bottas, Vettel and fellow Supercars champion Will Brown before losing the individual final to nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. Loeb claimed the individual crown and, alongside Victor Martins, secured the Nations Cup for France at Sydney’s Accor Stadium that same weekend.

The Wellington appearance will be only the second Race of Champions held in the Southern Hemisphere. Established in 1988, the event has previously visited venues including Wembley Stadium, the Stade de France and Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, along with less conventional locations such as the frozen Baltic Sea.

Previous competitors have included Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris, Mika Häkkinen and Valentino Rossi, reflecting the event’s ability to attract stars from numerous racing disciplines.

The New Zealand event is supported through the Government’s one-off Events Attraction Package, with WellingtonNZ and Hnry Stadium also involved in its delivery.

Single-day general admission tickets will start at $49, while weekend passes begin at $74. Presale access opens through TEG Sport at 11am on September 21, ahead of the general public sale through Ticketek New Zealand at 11am on September 22.

With more drivers still to be revealed, Kiwi fans will be watching closely to see whether other local stars join Paddon on Wellington’s temporary track.