Lando Norris, the reigning World Champion, has warned that the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix will present a significantly tougher test for Formula 1 drivers because the race weekend will now incorporate the Sprint format. The 2027 Formula 1 calendar, which was unveiled on Wednesday, features ten Sprint weekends – an increase of four compared with the current season – and Monaco’s iconic street circuit will host a Sprint for the first time in its history. Monaco’s narrow, winding layout has never been renowned for overtaking opportunities; in fact, the circuit is often cited as the ultimate proving ground for a driver’s qualifying prowess.
Historically, Sprint events have been placed on circuits where overtaking is more feasible, allowing the shorter race to produce genuine on‑track battles. Introducing a Sprint to Monaco, therefore, adds a fresh layer of complexity to an already demanding venue, where a single mistake can end a driver’s weekend. 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 drivers.
"Interesting," Norris began. "I guess the main thing is that means you’ve got FP1, then Sprint qualifying on Friday – that’s 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 free‑practice sessions spread across the weekend to fine‑tune their cars, develop a rhythm, and gather data on the unforgiving street circuit. Those sessions are crucial because Monaco rewards precision and punishes errors harshly; even a small mis‑step can result in a costly crash or a time‑loss that is impossible to recover.
With the Sprint format, the entire preparation window collapses into a single 60‑minute practice slot, forcing teams and drivers to compress a wealth of set‑up work, tyre‑temperature studies, and driver‑feedback loops into a fraction of the time they are accustomed to. Norris elaborated on the implications of this compressed schedule: "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 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 percent and not go to 103 or 104 percent because in Monaco when you go to that limit, game over.
It’s more exciting for the fans and the people watching." In practical terms, the reduced practice time means that drivers will need to make quicker decisions about car set‑up, tyre pressures, and aerodynamic balance. They will have to lean heavily on data collected from the previous year’s Monaco weekend, as well as simulations and wind‑tunnel work, to find the optimal configuration.
The margin for error shrinks dramatically; where a driver might normally spend a session experimenting with different rear‑wing angles or suspension settings, they will now have to choose a single set‑up and hope it works across both the Sprint and the main Grand Prix. The Sprint itself, a roughly 100‑kilometre dash that awards points to the top eight finishers, will be run on Saturday instead of the usual Sunday race day.
This shift not only changes the rhythm of the weekend but also adds an extra competitive element that could influence the starting grid for the main race. A strong Sprint performance could secure a front‑row start, while a poor result might force a driver to start further back, compounding the difficulty of overtaking on Monaco’s tight streets. Norris’s comments also hint at a strategic shift for teams.
With less time to test tyre degradation and fuel loads, engineers will need to predict how the car will behave over the Sprint distance and then extrapolate that data to the full‑distance Grand Prix. The risk of over‑optimising for one session at the expense of the other becomes a real concern. Moreover, the psychological pressure on drivers will increase; they must deliver near‑perfect laps in a single practice session, knowing that any mistake could jeopardise both the Sprint and the main race.
The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix saw Norris claim victory from pole position, a highlight of his title‑winning campaign. That experience will serve him well, but the altered weekend structure means he cannot rely solely on past success. He will need to adapt his approach, balancing aggression with caution, especially in the opening laps of the Sprint where the field will be bunched together and the walls loom close on all sides.
Fans, meanwhile, are likely to welcome the added excitement. The Sprint format tends to produce more on‑track action, with drivers forced to push harder earlier in the weekend. In Monaco, where the traditional race often unfolds as a procession with limited overtaking, the Sprint could inject a burst of drama, providing spectators with a glimpse of wheel‑to‑wheel battles that are otherwise rare on the principality’s streets. Overall, the introduction of the Sprint to Monaco represents a significant evolution in Formula 1’s approach to race weekends.
It challenges drivers to adapt quickly, compels teams to refine their data‑analysis processes, and promises a more thrilling spectacle for audiences. As Norris succinctly put it, the new format means "more risk earlier," and that risk could be the decisive factor that separates the podium finishers from the rest of the pack in what is set to become one of the most demanding events on the 2027 calendar.