Formula 1 keeps 24 races, adds 10 sprint weekends for 2027
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 16, 2026
2027 calendar
Formula 1 kept its 24-round championship for 2027 and used the calendar to set a clear shape for the next season. Bahrain will open the year and also host the first Sprint weekend, while Saudi Arabia will follow as the second race on the schedule. Formula 1 also put a four-day pre-season test in Bahrain before the racing begins. The schedule gives the season a familiar size at the top, but the layout underneath it changes in several key places. Bahrain moves into a bigger role right away. Saudi Arabia stays near the front of the calendar. Las Vegas sits as a standalone race before the final stretch, and the championship closes with Qatar and Abu Dhabi in back-to-back Sprint weekends. Formula 1 also cleared room for returns, departures and a rotation that will reshape the middle and back half of the schedule. The announcement came after weeks of delay, but the calendar now gives teams and fans a full picture of how the 2027 season will unfold.
Sprint weekends grow
The biggest competitive change is the jump in Sprint weekends from six to 10. Formula 1 is spreading them across more of the year and bringing several tracks into the format for the first time. Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi are all set to stage Sprint weekends for the first time, and Monaco will host its first Sprint race ever. That marks a major shift for a circuit that has long been defined by one of the most traditional weekends on the calendar. The expanded Sprint lineup also changes the rhythm of the season. More weekends will offer a shorter buildup and a more immediate first day of competition. That puts more weight on Friday and Saturday and gives teams fewer chances to recover from a slow start. Bahrain opens the Sprint slate, but the new format reaches deep into the calendar and ends with consecutive Sprint rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Formula 1 has kept the championship length the same and used the extra Sprint dates to increase the number of points-paying chances without adding another Grand Prix round. The result is a busier schedule, a different competitive cadence and more high-stakes weekends across the season.
Track returns and exits
The 2027 calendar also brings clear changes to the venues themselves. Portimao returns as a standalone race, giving Portugal a place back on the schedule without the Sprint format attached. Turkey’s Istanbul Park also comes back, and Formula 1 has placed it in a triple-header with Azerbaijan and Singapore. That stretch adds another layer of travel and timing to the middle of the season. Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, drops off the calendar. Barcelona enters a rotational arrangement with Spa-Francorchamps, with the two circuits alternating under the new plan beginning in 2027 and 2028. That move keeps both tracks in the conversation while giving Formula 1 room to manage the overall schedule. Las Vegas remains a standalone event before the final races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, which gives the closing run a different shape from the front of the season. Taken together, the changes show a calendar that keeps its 24-race size but spreads the spotlight across more venues and more Sprint weekends. Formula 1 has preserved the core structure of the championship and changed the way the season will feel from one weekend to the next.
