Why awarding Monaco a sprint race completely detracts from exciting 2027 F1 calendar

It’s been a significant 72 hours for the breed of petrolhead who thinks Formula 1 has lost its way. First, we had the debut of the Madring street track in the Spanish capital: no doubt a commercial success, but a circuit which gave us a dud of a Spanish Grand Prix, devoid of any entertainment after a 15th lap safety car period. Across 57 laps, there were just four overtakes.

Now, three days on, the 2027 Formula 1 calendar has been published, at its latest point for four years. And no, it was not a typo on first glance. Next year, there will be a sprint race at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Yes, that’s right, a sprint race in Monaco: infamously the circuit where you cannot race. The circuit which, despite its history and mystique, has been repeatedly criticised by drivers, Sunday after Sunday, year after year, for producing a dull and excruciatingly frustrating racing spectacle. Now, they’ve doubled down.

The logic goes as follows. Sources have told The Independent that the addition of another qualifying session, always the on-track highlight in Monte-Carlo, will shake up the race weekend with two different starting grids. That’s as may be, but it doesn’t alleviate the simple fact that you cannot overtake in the principality. The walls are too tight; the straight is not long enough. Only crashes spice up the races, dealing a different hand with pit-stop strategies.

But it is not mandatory to pit in sprint races. Assuming it’s dry and all is well at turn one, Sainte Devote, the rest of the race (around a third of a grand prix distance) should progress to the end as the starting order dictates: drivers may well close in on those ahead of them, but with no plausible option to pass. No driver has been immune to the frustration of one of the sport’s most iconic circuits.

There is a striking similarity here. Singapore, at the start of October, will host a sprint for the first time too. Much like Monaco, the Marina Bay Street Circuit is a tricky place to overtake, with tight walls and heavy braking zones. It will act as something of a guinea pig for Monaco next year: if there is a lack of action next month, don’t expect anything better next June.

What makes the decision – which obviously comes with a degree of financial weighting, as promoters and events pay more to host a sprint race given the increase in competitive sessions – even more baffling is the fact that it detracts from what is actually a fascinating schedule of 24 races.

We have two circuits returning: Portimao (Portugal) in June and Istanbul Park (Turkey) in October. Portugal returns on a two-year deal, perhaps a placeholder before a more grandiose venue (such as South Africa, Korea or Thailand) is nailed down, while Turkey has a five-year contract. Both are traditional, much-liked racetracks.

There has also been an increase in the number of sprint races from six to 10. And while that may well be to the irritation of Max Verstappen, who has previously stated he could quit F1 if the number of sprints go up (mind you, all this before his new Red Bull deal), the sprint weekends are a much more enviable spectacle. Punters on every day are treated to competitiveness, with sprint qualifying taking place on Friday. One sole practice session creates a randomness and unpredictability which F1 often badly lacks.

Bahrain is currently pencilled in to host the 2027 season-opener on 14 March (Getty)

And, particularly in the modern-day sporting landscape which F1 has executed so well, gaining the attention of the masses for three hours of practice is hard work over the course of the weekend. Sprint weekends are, undoubtedly, a better product.

The other notable flashpoint from the calendar comes with… the announcement of it. The irony is inescapable that the 2027 schedule has been published before the finale of the 2026 season has been confirmed. Officially, we are heading to Qatar (29 November) and Abu Dhabi (6 December). Yet time is running out for the war in the Middle East to be resolved. F1 originally had a deadline of mid-September; it is understood that date has shifted to the end of the month. At this stage, it seems probable that we are heading to Imola for a season finale, probably on the weekend of Abu Dhabi.

And the top of next year’s calendar marks another potential geo-political issue. Bahrain (which will technically hold its 2026 grand prix in Malaysia on 4 October) is down to host both pre-season testing in February and the season-opener on 14 March. The Saudi Arabian GP, also cancelled in April, will follow a week later. How long will F1 have to alter that start of next season if the war continues? December? January?

For that issue on the horizon, there is time on their side. This year’s finale, less so. So far, F1 has taken a common-sense approach to staging events in the region and rightly so. If only the same logic could be applied to its sprint race destinations. Or one, in particular.