F1 set for major Sprint expansion in 2027

Formula 1 is set to expand its Sprint program sharply in 2027, with president and CEO Stefano Domenicali saying a bigger number of Sprint weekends will be announced “very, very soon” and Sky Sports reporting the total is expected to rise from six to nine or 10.

That would place the 100km Saturday race format on almost half of a 24-round championship calendar, a major shift for a concept that began with only three trial events in 2021 and has stayed at six rounds since expanding in 2023.

Speaking to Sky Sports at Silverstone, Domenicali said the format had moved beyond the skepticism that greeted it at launch. “If you remember in the beginning, people were always sceptical of what we're doing, and I think that we have the duty to be, in a way, brave and to think out of the box,” he said. He added that “it made sense to grow the Sprint number again.”

Domenicali linked that push directly to fan demand, pointing to Silverstone’s Friday crowd as evidence that the extra competitive action is now serving a clear purpose. “With the people we had on Friday at Silverstone, if you don't give something that has an action it would be wrong,” he said after citing a Friday attendance of 150,000. “Therefore, I think that this is the way to go.”

On Sprint weekends, Friday features a separate Sprint qualifying session, before the 100km Sprint on Saturday and then grand prix qualifying ahead of Sunday’s main race. In 2026, the format is being used at China, Miami, Belgium, the United States, São Paulo and Qatar.

One confirmed element of the 2027 plan is Monza. In Milan, Geronimo La Russa, president of the Automobile Club of Italy, said Formula 1 and the Italian Grand Prix organizers had reached an agreement for the event to host a Sprint from next year and for three seasons, making Monza a Sprint round from 2027 through 2029.

If the final number lands at nine or 10, as Sky Sports expects, Formula 1 will be committing far more of its calendar to a format it now sees as a proven attendance and broadcast driver, with teams, drivers and promoters facing a championship in which Sprint weekends become a much bigger part of the competitive landscape.