On Wednesday, Formula 1 and the FIA published the 24-event 2027 World Championship schedule—and a sprint race in Monaco is the most eye-catching novelty.
The ongoing uncertainty over the situation in the Middle East was one of the main reasons for a delay in issuing the calendar; last year’s schedule emerged around in June, 11 weeks earlier than this time around. F1 has been juggling the final confirmation of the 2027 schedule with trying to keep on top of what might happen at the end of this season.
Although a decision has yet to be made official, it’s anticipated that the final two races of 2026 in Qatar and Abu Dhabi will be cancelled within the next two weeks, with Imola lined up to take the latter’s December 6 date despite the obvious risk of poor weather in that part of Italy. But the 2027 calendar has emerged in its expected form on the basis that the situation in the Gulf region will improve, with the season beginning with both testing and the opening race in Bahrain, followed by Saudi Arabia. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are again placed at the end of the year, but now with a one-week gap to Las Vegas, which creates some extra wiggle room should there still be a need to cancel events.
As had previously been announced, the Dutch GP and Barcelona GP events have both gone, and they have been replaced by the returns of the Portuguese GP (in June) and the Turkish GP (in October). Both the Portimao and Istanbul Park tracks were used as substitute venues during the Covid-19 era in 2020 and 2021, and they both now return in their own right.
In a major change, the sprint schedule has been increased from six to 10 events. Monaco is a surprise, because in the past it has expressly been mentioned by F1 bosses as a venue that wouldn’t have a sprint. However, a second qualifying session on Friday—after just a single FP1 session to give drivers a chance to get up to speed—clearly proved attractive. It remains to be seen how the teams view the obvious risk of sustaining extra damage over the weekend.
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In addition to Monaco, other venues holding a sprint for the first time are Bahrain, Australia, Japan, and Abu Dhabi; events that have previously featured sprints and will do so again in 2027 are Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Sao Paulo and Qatar. The fact that three of the last four grands prix now feature sprints suggests an effort to prolong the championship battle for as long as possible, with 33 rather than 25 points now available at the final race.
Although F1 remains bullish about being able to run the 2027 schedule as published, there’s no shortage of potential replacements should any of the Middle East races fall by the wayside. Barcelona, Zandvoort, Imola and Sepang (which this year hosts the Bahrain GP) are all obvious candidates to step in if needed, and the first of those venues is the logical choice for pre-season testing.
“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,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said regarding the schedule. “Formula 1 continues to go from strength to strength, attracting new audiences around the globe.”
The full 2027 FIA Formula One World Championship schedule:
F1 / FIA