In 2027, there will be as many as ten sprint weekends in Formula 1. Their locations were announced alongside the confirmation of the 2027 season calendar. There have been significant changes among the hosts of the sprints, and Liberty Media, seeing that this format is popular, is trying to develop it.
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Sprints debuted in Formula 1 in 2021 as one of the main innovations introduced by Liberty Media. Initially, there were three such weekends in the season, and later their number was doubled to six. In the years 2021 – 2024, significant changes were always introduced to the sprint weekend format, but from that point on the situation has stabilized. The rules for conducting sprint weekends in 2027 will remain unchanged. On Friday, there will be practice and qualifying for the sprint, on Saturday the sprint and main qualifying, and on Sunday the race.
F1 sprint calendar in 2027
In 2027, there will be ten sprints, planned half on tracks where this format has already been organized before, and half on new venues. The table contains links to track characteristics along with their layouts. Just click on the track name.
| Date | Grand Prix | Track |
|---|---|---|
| March 13 | Bahrain | Bahrain International Circuit |
| April 3 | Australia | Albert Park Circuit |
| April 10 | Japan | Suzuka International Racing Course |
| May 22 | Canada | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve |
| June 5 | Monaco | Circuit de Monaco |
| July 3 | Great Britain | Silverstone Circuit |
| September 4 | Italy | Autodromo Nazionale Monza |
| November 6 | Sao Paulo | Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace |
| December 4 | Qatar | Losail International Circuit |
| December 11 | Abu Dhabi | Yas Marina Circuit |
Formula 1 has changed the concept of the sprint calendar, because in 2027 there will be a very large concentration of them at the beginning and end of the season. This means that in the initial phase of the season there may be more surprises, as teams will have less practice. At the end of the season, there will be many additional points to gain, so the fight for championship titles may be prolonged.
The full Formula 1 calendar for the 2027 season is available here.
There are more and more sprints because this format is more popular and provides F1 with more money
I belong to the group of people who do not like the sprint format. It does not convince me, I often do not have time to watch all sessions live and have to plan my life duties differently. However, this format is very beneficial for F1 for a simple reason: few fans watch practice sessions, but the sprint and qualifying held in their place attract many more. Liberty Media provides data showing that sessions during the sprint weekend have significantly more viewers, and there is no surprise here. Race organizers are satisfied because from Friday there are sessions on the track where there is a fight for positions, which means more fans are at the track throughout the weekend. In 2024, the promoter of the Canadian GP stated that organizing a sprint would cost him an additional $4 million, as that is the fee to be paid to Liberty Media for this privilege. If such a rate still applies, Liberty Media will earn an additional $40 million from the tracks and additional millions from sponsors in 2027.
Read more Formula 1 Calendar in 2027
Liberty Media, explaining the additional sprints in 2027, stated that sprint weekends have 12% more TV viewers than regular ones. Friday sprint qualifying has 3x more viewers than second practice sessions. Additionally, 82% of ticket buyers believe that sprint weekends are more interesting and purchased tickets have greater value because exciting sessions last for three days.
I see greater interest on my blog. During a regular race weekend, a large number of views appear on Saturday after the third practice and remain for several hours after the Sunday race. During a sprint weekend, more traffic on the site starts already on Friday afternoon. It is difficult for me to provide reliable specific data, but I estimate that during the entire sprint weekend I have 30% more article views on the site than during a regular one with practices.
My comment on the choice of sprint locations in 2027
I do not like the prepared sprint layout in 2027 for two reasons. First, there will be sprints at the opening and end of the season. I am against having sprints exactly on such weekends. A sprint at the season opener artificially increases the chance of surprises, and a sprint in the season finale increases pressure on drivers if the fight for the world championship lasted until the last round. Furthermore, in the first four weekends of 2027 there will be three sprints, and also in the last four weekends there will be three sprints. There is too much concentration at the beginning and end of the season. The sprint in Monaco raises many controversies, but in my opinion, this is actually a good idea. There will be an additional qualifying session, which is the best moment of this weekend. Nothing will happen during the sprint, but practice sessions are even more boring.
The future of sprint weekends in F1
Older fans may not like it (I belong to this group), but the hard data Liberty Media has suggests that sprints are a success. Ticket sales and TV viewership are increasing, tracks pay extra money to have sprints, and sponsors pay for greater promotion. Ten sprints in 2027 is a large number, but if sprint weekends continue to be more beneficial for F1 than regular weekends, I expect their number to increase further in a few years. However, I do not think F1 wants to organize all weekends in the sprint format. There must be weekends with three practice sessions so that teams have time to develop cars, young drivers can participate, etc. At the moment, there is no talk about plans to change the sprint weekend format. It seems that the current format, developed after several years, is optimal.
The most important information about the 2027 season can be found in a special category of articles, which can be seen at this link.
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