Formula 1 published its 2027 calendar on Wednesday morning after weeks of delay, and the headline is not the venues but the format. Ten of the 24 rounds will be sprint weekends, up from six this year, and one of them is Monaco. The season opens in Bahrain on 14 March, a return to the traditional slot after this year’s relocation of the Bahrain round to Malaysia, with Saudi Arabia a week later and Australia pushed back to 4 April. The FIA has still not decided whether this season’s Qatar and Abu Dhabi races will go ahead.
The 2027 calendar
The season runs from 14 March to a finale in Abu Dhabi, with 24 rounds against 23 in 2026. The opening block is Bahrain and Saudi Arabia as a Middle East double-header, then Australia, Japan on 11 April and China on 18 April. Zandvoort has left the calendar, as trailed all year, and the Madrid round continues alongside Barcelona. The rest of the schedule follows the regional blocks the sport has settled into: a North American trip, the European summer, the Asian flyaways and an autumn in the Americas before the Middle East finale. Races will also be shorter, with the sport having agreed to cut Grand Prix distances to around 290km from 2027.
Ten sprints, including Monaco
The expansion of the sprint format from six rounds to ten is the biggest structural change since sprints were introduced in 2021, and Monaco is the venue nobody expected. The logic, as The Race’s Edd Straw pointed out, is that a sprint weekend means two qualifying sessions on the streets, which at Monaco is the best part of the weekend anyway. The counter-argument is that a 100km sprint on a circuit where overtaking is close to impossible will be a procession with points attached, and that a sprint on the season opener, which is also planned, dilutes the first Grand Prix of the year. The Race called the opener sprint “sacrilege”. Formula 1’s position is that sprint weekends draw larger crowds and audiences on days that were previously quiet, and the numbers have supported it so far.
Why the delay
The calendar was held back because neither Formula 1 nor the FIA could commit to a Middle East schedule while the conflict between the United States and Iran continues. That is the same situation that moved this year’s Bahrain round to Sepang, which we explained in why the Bahrain Grand Prix is in Malaysia. F1 has decided to publish its original plan, opening in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, while keeping what The Race described as a Plan B to start the season elsewhere if the region is not safe by March. PlanetF1 reported that the FIA has yet to make a decision on the 2026 Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds. Formula 2 has already added an extra feature race to its Baku round, which several outlets read as a hedge against losing the season’s final events.
What it means for 2026’s run-in
If Qatar and Abu Dhabi are cancelled, the current season would end after Las Vegas on 22 November with 21 rounds, and the championship arithmetic changes: 50 fewer points available, which could bring Kimi Antonelli’s title clinch forward by a race. Our title permutations guide assumes the full 23 rounds for now. Imola has emerged as a possible replacement finale, with Ferrari testing there this week, though nothing has been confirmed.
What it means for the teams
Ten sprints means ten weekends with a single practice session, which rewards teams with strong simulation and punishes anyone who arrives with a set-up guess. It also means up to 80 extra points on offer across the season, which changes how title fights are won. The 2027 season is also the first under revised regulations, with Honda replacing its power unit development chief this week ahead of the changes and Haas talking about getting its budget closer to the cost cap with new partners. A 24-race calendar with ten sprints is the most demanding schedule the sport has ever run. The drivers’ union will have views.
Frequently asked questions
How many races are there in 2027?
24, opening in Bahrain on 14 March and closing in Abu Dhabi.
How many sprints?
Ten, including Monaco for the first time.
When does the season start?
14 March 2027 in Bahrain, then Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan and China.
Are Qatar and Abu Dhabi 2026 confirmed?
Not yet. The FIA has still to decide, and F1 has a contingency to open 2027 elsewhere.
