The 2027 Formula 1 schedule has been released, and once again the championship will stretch across a record‑tying 24 race weekends. While the sheer volume of events is notable, the real points of interest lie in several key alterations: a larger slate of Sprint races, the debut of a Sprint at the legendary Monaco Grand Prix, the continued presence of the sport’s Middle‑East fixtures, and the comeback of two fan‑favoured circuits. In July, Formula 1 confirmed that the number of Sprint weekends will rise to ten for the 2027 season. This marks an increase of four Sprint events compared with the six that have been held each year over the past four seasons.
The Sprint format, first introduced in 2021, adds an extra qualifying session that determines the starting grid for a short 100‑kilometre race on Saturday. The addition of this mini‑race has proven popular with viewers; global television figures show a 12 percent uplift on Sprint weekends versus traditional weekends that include three practice sessions.
The new Sprint calendar is split evenly between venues that have already hosted Sprint events—Montreal, Silverstone, Monza, Interlagos and Qatar’s Lusail circuit—and five newcomers to the format: Sakhir (Bahrain), Albert Park (Australia), Suzuka (Japan), the iconic streets of Monaco and Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. The points system for the Sprint, which awards points to the top eight finishers, is expected to stay unchanged for 2027. One of the most surprising headlines surrounding the 2027 calendar is the inclusion of Monaco as a Sprint venue. Monaco has never before featured a Sprint race, and its main Grand Prix is already infamous for being a processional, low‑overtaking affair due to the narrow, twisty, wall‑lined streets.
Historically, the excitement in Monaco comes from the pure qualifying spectacle—drivers threading their cars through a maze of barriers at the limit of adhesion. With a Sprint added to the programme, Monaco will now host two grid‑setting sessions in a single weekend, effectively doubling the high‑pressure moments that fans love. The reduction in practice time also adds an element of unpredictability. Traditionally, teams enjoy three practice sessions to dial in car setup and give drivers a chance to build rhythm on the demanding circuit.
In 2027, Monaco will only have a single practice session before the Sprint Qualifying on Friday evening, meaning teams must extract as much information as possible in a compressed timeframe. As Sky Sports analyst Craig Slater noted, “Sprints have usually been run at circuits where overtaking is easy.
That’s not Monaco, but the upside is we get two red‑hot qualifying sessions, which is exactly what that track is all about.” The season will also break new ground by opening and closing with Sprint events. The Bahrain Grand Prix will kick off the year with a Sprint weekend on March 12‑14, while the finale in Abu Dhabi will feature a Sprint on December 10‑12.
This arrangement presents fresh challenges for teams and drivers. The opening Sprint will be the first competitive session of the year, leaving only one practice session to fine‑tune the brand‑new 2027 cars before drivers battle for grid positions on Friday night. To mitigate the lack of on‑track time, pre‑season testing at the same Sakhir circuit will be extended to four days (February 24‑27), giving crews an extra day to gather data and adapt to the new machinery.
Having the championship conclude with back‑to‑back Sprint weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi raises the prospect that the world title could be decided on a Saturday rather than the traditional Sunday race. This scenario is not purely hypothetical; Max Verstappen secured his third world championship in the 2023 Qatar Sprint.
Consequently, the final two rounds of 2027 could become decisive, with every point from the Sprint races carrying significant weight. All four Middle‑East races—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi—remain on the 2027 calendar, framing the 24‑race campaign. However, geopolitical tensions have already impacted the schedule for the current season. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was cancelled, and the Bahrain Grand Prix was relocated to Malaysia for October 4 after originally being slated for April at Sakhir, a week before the Jeddah event.
Despite these disruptions, Formula 1 management intends to keep the 2026 concluding Middle‑East rounds as planned, with a decision deadline set for mid‑September but no hard cutoff, allowing officials to monitor the situation closely. Should the Middle‑East races become untenable, the Imola circuit in Italy is earmarked as a contingency venue to close out the season in December. This backup plan provides flexibility, especially given that the early‑season Middle‑East dates for 2027 are still five months away, granting the FIA ample time to assess any developments. The 2024 calendar first expanded to a record‑tying 24 Grand Prix, and that figure is set to be repeated in 2027.
While there are no brand‑new venues on the list, the schedule does see the return of Portugal’s Portimão circuit and Turkey’s Istanbul Park after they were called upon during the COVID‑affected 2020 and 2021 seasons. Both circuits replace the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, which will enter a rotation with the Belgian Grand Prix and return in 2028, as well as the Dutch Grand Prix, whose contract has ended. Portimão will inherit Barcelona’s June slot, while Turkey will slot into early October, fitting into a slightly reshuffled post‑summer‑break block that will stretch to five weeks in 2027. The season will wrap up on December 12, a week later than this year and the joint‑latest finish date since 2020.
In summary, the 2027 Formula 1 calendar introduces a host of intriguing changes: a ten‑race Sprint program, Monaco’s inaugural Sprint weekend, an expanded pre‑season testing schedule, and a finale that could see the championship decided on a Saturday. Fans can expect more qualifying drama, heightened strategic complexity, and the ever‑present possibility of surprise outcomes as the sport navigates both sporting innovations and external challenges.