World champion Lando Norris has warned that the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix will present a far steeper challenge for drivers next year, primarily because the race weekend will now incorporate the Sprint format. The 2027 Formula 1 calendar, which was unveiled on Wednesday, expands the number of Sprint events to ten – four more than the current season – and designates the iconic Monaco street circuit as one of the venues that will host a Sprint for the first time. Monaco’s narrow, winding layout has long been notorious for offering almost no overtaking opportunities. Historically, the Sprint format has been applied to circuits where passing is more feasible, but Monaco is arguably the ultimate test of a driver’s qualifying skill.
The pressure to extract the absolute fastest lap in a single, high‑stakes session is amplified when the weekend’s schedule is compressed. Speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Natalie Pinkham alongside golfer Justin Rose at the BMW PGA Championship Pro‑Am at Wentworth on Wednesday, the McLaren driver broke down what the new format means for the Principality’s race weekend.
"Interesting!" Norris began. "I guess the main thing is that means you’ve got FP1, then Sprint qualifying on Friday – which is the challenge. Obviously not a lot happens in a race on Sunday or in the Sprint, but the challenge is just one practice session straight in, which has probably never happened before in Monaco." Under the current regulations, drivers enjoy three one‑hour practice sessions spread over Friday and Saturday, allowing them to gradually build rhythm, fine‑tune the car’s set‑up, and learn the quirks of Monaco’s tight, wall‑flanked circuit. Mistakes are punished severely; even a small error can end a lap and jeopardise a driver’s entire weekend.
With the Sprint format, that valuable preparation time is dramatically reduced to a single 60‑minute session. All set‑up work, data collection, and driver acclimatisation must be compressed into that brief window. When asked about the implications of this tighter schedule, Norris explained, "That’s more about relying on data from this year.
Obviously tougher for us as drivers. You don’t have as much time to build up to things, so you’re probably going to have to try and risk a little bit more earlier, which is normally when you can see a bit more of a difference between people who can get comfy, try things and be at 99 per cent and not go to 103 or 104 per cent because in Monaco when you go to that limit, game over." In other words, the reduced practice time forces drivers to push harder, earlier in the weekend, to extract performance gains.
The margin for error shrinks dramatically; a driver who is comfortable at 99 per cent of the car’s potential may need to stretch to 103 per cent to stay competitive, but doing so on Monaco’s unforgiving streets can quickly end in a crash or a damaged car. Norris believes this will separate the truly adaptable, quick‑learning drivers from those who rely on longer preparation periods. He added, "It’s more exciting for the fans and the people watching." The excitement stems from the fact that a single practice session will now carry the weight of both qualifying and sprint‑race preparation, meaning every lap counts and any mistake is magnified.
Spectators can expect a more dynamic, unpredictable weekend, with drivers taking calculated risks in order to secure a strong grid position for the main Grand Prix. Norris’s comments carry particular weight because he won the Monaco Grand Prix from pole position in 2025, a victory that helped secure his world championship that year.
His personal experience of mastering the circuit’s demands gives him insight into how the Sprint format could reshape strategies. In 2025, Norris and his team spent the full complement of practice sessions analysing tyre behaviour, brake cooling, and aerodynamic balance – all crucial factors on a circuit where a single mis‑judged corner can end a race.
With the new schedule, teams will need to adapt their engineering approach. Data from the previous year’s three‑session format will be scrutinised more intensely, and simulation work will become even more critical. Engineers will have to rely on historical telemetry, wind‑tunnel data, and real‑time feedback from the driver during that solitary practice hour to set up the car for both the Sprint and the main race.
The pressure on pit crews and strategists will also increase, as they must devise a plan that maximises points from the Sprint while preserving the car for the Sunday showdown. The broader F1 community is watching closely, as the Sprint format is still relatively new and its impact varies from circuit to circuit. Some venues, like Silverstone and Austin, have produced thrilling Sprint races with plenty of overtaking, while others have seen processional events. Monaco’s addition to the Sprint roster could serve as a litmus test for whether the format can thrive on a track that traditionally rewards precision over outright speed.
Fans can look forward to a weekend where the usual three‑day rhythm is replaced by a high‑intensity, two‑day sprint. Friday will feature a single free‑practice session followed by a knockout‑style Sprint qualifying, culminating in a short, points‑bearing Sprint race on Saturday. Sunday will still host the traditional Grand Prix, but the grid will already be set based on the Saturday Sprint results, adding another strategic layer. Overall, Norris’s message is clear: drivers must be prepared to take calculated risks earlier in the weekend, lean heavily on existing data, and adapt quickly to the compressed schedule.
The combination of Monaco’s demanding layout and the new Sprint format promises a weekend that will test the limits of driver skill, team ingenuity, and fan excitement alike. The 2027 Monaco Grand Prix is shaping up to be a landmark event in Formula 1’s evolving calendar, and all eyes will be on how the drivers respond to the heightened pressure and reduced preparation time.