Formula 1 expands sprint format to 10 races in 2027 calendar including Monaco debut

Sprint format expands to ten races

Formula 1 announced its 24-race schedule for the 2027 season on 16 September 2026, increasing the number of sprint weekends from six to ten. Monaco will host a sprint event for the first time on the weekend of 4–6 June 2027. The street circuit in Monte Carlo, known for limited overtaking opportunities, will stage two separate qualifying sessions and two competitive races across the weekend. Drivers will have one practice session before Friday sprint qualifying, followed by the sprint race and standard qualifying on Saturday and the main grand prix on Sunday.

Four other venues will host sprint races for the first time in 2027: Bahrain, Melbourne in Australia, Suzuka in Japan, and Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. Five circuits return to the sprint roster after staging short-form races in earlier years: Montreal in Canada, Silverstone in Great Britain, Monza in Italy, Interlagos in Brazil, and Lusail in Qatar.

Commercial metrics behind sprint growth

Formula One Management stated that audience data influenced the decision to add four sprint weekends. Official figures show that sprint race weekends generate 12% higher overall viewership than traditional three-day events. Television viewership for Friday sprint qualifying is up to three times higher than for standard practice sessions, and 82% of surveyed attendees reported that the sprint format added value to their event tickets. At the British Grand Prix, organisers attributed a four-day attendance increase of 64,000 spectators to the inclusion of the sprint format.

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali endorsed the calendar changes during the formal release of the schedule.

We are thrilled to welcome Portugal and Turkey to the championship and to expand sprint racing to 10 events, giving our fans even more intensity, drama, and the wheel-to-wheel action that make our sport so special.

Returns for Portimão and Istanbul

The 2027 calendar brings the return of the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimão on 18–20 June and the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul Park on 1–3 October, with the Turkish event subject to FIA circuit homologation. Both venues last hosted Formula 1 races in 2021 as replacement fixtures. Istanbul previously hosted regular championship rounds between 2005 and 2011.

These additions replace the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will alternate hosting duties with Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps starting in 2028, and the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, which concluded its final scheduled race in 2026. Spain will instead feature a race on the street circuit in Madrid on 10–12 September 2027.

Regional scheduling and Middle East dates

The championship begins with pre-season testing in Bahrain on 24–27 February 2027, before the opening round at the Sakhir circuit on 12–14 March. The season concludes in Abu Dhabi on 10–12 December, marking the latest end to an F1 season since 2021. The 2027 schedule includes three triple-headers: Australia, Japan, and China in April; Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Singapore in September and October; and the United States, Mexico, and Brazil across late October and early November.

The schedule lists four Middle Eastern rounds across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Earlier in 2026, races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled due to the conflict involving Iran, with Bahrain's round relocated to Malaysia in October 2026. Formula 1 maintains its planned 2027 dates while monitoring geopolitical conditions, with Imola, Zandvoort, and Barcelona listed by organizers as potential standby venues if replacements become necessary. Las Vegas will run on 18–20 November 2027 as a standalone event rather than pairing with the season-ending Middle Eastern rounds.