Monaco to stage first sprint as F1 expands to 10 short races in 2027

Monaco will host a sprint race for the first time in 2027 as Formula 1 expands its short-format programme to a record 10 events. Reuters

A sprint is a shorter race held on Saturday, separate from Sunday’s grand prix. The current format was introduced at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In 2026 there were six sprint weekends. Next year that rises to 10, with Monaco on the list. BBC Sport

Why Monaco? That was the question from reader Graham in a BBC Sport Q&A headlined “Why is Monaco staging a sprint race?” ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson took reader questions before the Baku weekend.

Overtaking is rare there. The street circuit is narrow, twisty and famously difficult to pass on. F1’s argument, reported in the Q&A, is that a sprint gives the chance of two different grid orders and therefore more variability.

For fans, this means two starts to watch in Monte Carlo rather than one. Qualifying sets the order for the sprint, the sprint and qualifying shape the main race, and a mistake on Saturday can follow a driver into Sunday.

The debate comes just as Baku stages its own Saturday race. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend features a Formula 1 sprint race on Saturday, putting the format back in the spotlight.

Baku is a fitting place to talk about shake-ups. Charles Leclerc took pole for Ferrari there in 2024 with a 1 minute 41.365 seconds lap, while Oscar Piastri won the race for McLaren. The 2026 edition was brought forward by a day, from 27 September to 26 September.

The Q&A also turned to the virtual safety car, the speed-limit period used to neutralise a race without sending out a full safety car. Two recent cases have frustrated drivers. In Barcelona, a virtual safety car period gave Lewis Hamilton the lead before Kimi Antonelli’s subsequent retirement. In Madrid, Lando Norris lost victory because of the timing of the intervention.

Drivers had previously discussed with the FIA the idea that the virtual safety car should remain out for a minimum of a lap, to stop the order being decided by luck. The idea was discussed at the FIA sporting advisory committee in the week before Baku with no consensus on changes. It was also on the agenda for the F1 Commission meeting on the Monday before the race, with no significant developments.

The title picture adds edge to it all. Kimi Antonelli entered round 15 of the season with an 81-point drivers’ championship lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell.

Monaco was the sixth round of the 2026 season, run on 5-7 June. Next year it will be something new. Two lights-out moments on streets where one is usually enough.