Formula 1 confirms 2027 calendar: 24 Grands Prix and a record 10 Sprints
Formula 1 and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) have confirmed the 2027 World Championship calendar, which will comprise 24 Grand Prix weekends in 22 countries across five continents. The calendar was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, and the season will begin from March 12 to 14 in Bahrain and conclude from December 10 to 12 in Abu Dhabi. The biggest changes are the return of Portugal and Turkey and a major expansion of the Sprint format: instead of six, as had been scheduled in each of the previous four seasons, as many as ten Sprint weekends will be held in 2027.
According to Formula 1's official announcement of September 16, 2026, the teams will have a four-day pre-season test in Bahrain from February 24 to 27 before the championship begins. The championship will then remain in the Middle East for the first two races: Bahrain opens the season, and just one week later the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah follows. The calendar then moves to Australia, Japan and China, before the first of three visits to the United States, the race in Miami.
The 2027 calendar retains a total of 24 Grands Prix, but changes their order and composition. Portugal returns in June, for the first time since 2021, while Turkey returns at the beginning of October, also after a multi-year absence. Formula 1 says the schedule has again been shaped so that races are geographically grouped whenever possible, with the aim of making the movement of equipment and personnel more efficient during the ten-month season.
Bahrain opens the season again, Abu Dhabi remains the final stop
Unlike 2026, when the start of the championship was organized differently, the 2027 calendar restores Bahrain as the first race of the season. The Sakhir weekend will take place from March 12 to 14 and will also be the first Sprint weekend of the year. Saudi Arabia follows from March 19 to 21, meaning the championship will begin with two consecutive weekends in the Middle East.
After a short break, a triple-header in the Asia-Pacific region follows. Melbourne is scheduled from April 2 to 4, Suzuka from April 9 to 11, and Shanghai from April 16 to 18. Australia and Japan will feature a Sprint, while the Chinese weekend will be held in the standard Grand Prix format. Formula 1 then heads to Miami from April 30 to May 2, followed by a two-week break before Canada from May 21 to 23.
The end of the season remains familiar. After the autumn run in North and South America and Las Vegas, the championship will move to Qatar at the beginning of December and then to Abu Dhabi. Lusail will host the penultimate weekend from December 3 to 5, and Yas Marina the final one from December 10 to 12. Both weekends will be Sprint events, meaning that if the title fight remains open until the very end, it will include additional points-scoring opportunities in both the penultimate and final rounds.
Portugal returns in June, Portimão has a contract for 2027 and 2028
The Portuguese Grand Prix returns to the calendar from June 18 to 20 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. Formula 1 announced back in December 2025 that a two-year agreement had been reached with the Portuguese government, tourism organization Turismo de Portugal and promoter Parkalgar for races in 2027 and 2028. The Algarve circuit was last part of the championship in 2020 and 2021, when it entered the calendar during a period of major changes caused by the pandemic.
Portimão is known for its major elevation changes, blind crests and technically demanding sequence of corners. According to Formula 1 data, the current configuration is approximately 4.6 kilometres long. Portugal has a much longer history in the World Championship: the first Portuguese Grand Prix was held in Porto in 1958, and over the decades races were also held at Monsanto and Estoril. It was at Estoril that Ayrton Senna claimed his first Formula 1 victory in 1985.
The return of Portimão fills an important position in the early European part of the season. Monaco will be held from June 4 to 6, followed by Portugal, and then Silverstone from July 2 to 4. There is no Grand Prix weekend between Portugal and Great Britain, leaving a week of rest after Portimão before the intense summer schedule resumes.
Turkey returns to Istanbul Park and stays at least until 2031
The second major return to the calendar is the Turkish Grand Prix. The race is scheduled from October 1 to 3 at Istanbul Park, between Azerbaijan and Singapore. The FIA and Formula 1 announced in April 2026 that a five-year agreement had been concluded to bring Turkey back to the championship from 2027 through 2031, in cooperation with the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports. The Turkish Automobile Sports Federation TOSFED was designated as the partner responsible for staging the event.
Istanbul Park first entered the calendar in 2005 and has so far hosted nine Grands Prix: seven between 2005 and 2011 and two during 2020 and 2021. The 5.33-kilometre circuit is known for major elevation changes and especially for the multi-apex left-hand Turn 8, one of its most recognizable sections. At this circuit in 2020, Lewis Hamilton mathematically secured his seventh World Championship title, equalling Michael Schumacher's record at the time.
The Turkish weekend will be part of a demanding run of three consecutive races. Baku is scheduled from September 24 to 26, Istanbul from October 1 to 3, and Singapore from October 8 to 10. In the FIA's official calendar, Istanbul carries a note stating that the event is subject to circuit homologation, which is a standard regulatory condition confirming that the venue meets the technical and safety criteria required to host a Formula 1 race.
A record 10 Sprint weekends change the rhythm of the championship
The biggest structural change in the 2027 season is not the number of Grands Prix, but the number of Sprint events. Formula 1 is increasing the Sprint programme from six to ten weekends, the highest number since the format was introduced in 2021. Three Sprints were held in each of the first two seasons, six per season from 2023 through 2026, and the number rises to ten in 2027.
In 2027, Sprints will be held in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy, Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi will host the Sprint format for the first time, while it will return to Montreal, Silverstone, Monza, São Paulo and Lusail. This means the Sprint will be present in different parts of the season, from the opening weekend in March all the way to the finale in December.
Monaco is attracting particular attention, as a Sprint will be held on the street circuit for the first time. According to Formula 1's explanation, Sprint Qualifying will take place on Friday, the Sprint on Saturday morning, and qualifying for the main race later the same day. This means that on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo, drivers will have two separate qualifying sessions in a single weekend, further increasing the importance of precision and risk management at a circuit where the margin for error is extremely small.
Formula 1 explains the expansion of the Sprint through audience interest and the format's commercial results. According to data published by the organization itself, total viewership of Sprint weekends since the format was introduced has been on average 12 percent higher than on weekends without a Sprint, while the Sprint Qualifying session is, according to its measurements, up to three times more popular than the practice session it replaces. Formula 1 also says that 82 percent of Sprint weekend attendees believe the additional competitive session increases ticket value, while 75 percent of surveyed fans believe the Sprint brings greater value to the calendar. These figures represent data and research published by the championship's commercial rights holder.
What the full 2027 Formula 1 calendar looks like
According to the calendar jointly published by Formula 1 and the FIA following approval by the World Motor Sport Council, the season will have the following schedule:
- March 12 - 14: Bahrain, Sakhir - Sprint
- March 19 - 21: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
- April 2 - 4: Australia, Melbourne - Sprint
- April 9 - 11: Japan, Suzuka - Sprint
- April 16 - 18: China, Shanghai
- April 30 - May 2: USA, Miami
- May 21 - 23: Canada, Montreal - Sprint
- June 4 - 6: Monaco - Sprint
- June 18 - 20: Portugal, Portimão
- July 2 - 4: Great Britain, Silverstone - Sprint
- July 9 - 11: Austria, Spielberg
- July 23 - 25: Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps
- July 30 - August 1: Hungary, Budapest
- September 3 - 5: Italy, Monza - Sprint
- September 10 - 12: Spain, Madrid
- September 24 - 26: Azerbaijan, Baku
- October 1 - 3: Turkey, Istanbul
- October 8 - 10: Singapore
- October 22 - 24: USA, Austin
- October 29 - 31: Mexico, Ciudad de México
- November 5 - 7: Brazil, São Paulo - Sprint
- November 18 - 20: USA, Las Vegas
- December 3 - 5: Qatar, Lusail - Sprint
- December 10 - 12: Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina - Sprint
Before the first race, official pre-season testing will take place from February 24 to 27 in Sakhir. Formula 1 emphasizes that, following the major technical changes introduced in 2026, a more compact pre-season programme will return for 2027 with one four-day test in Bahrain. This will give teams a shorter period of collective testing before the first points-scoring weekend at the same circuit.
The European part of the season and the new summer-race schedule
After Canada, Formula 1 enters the European part of the championship, which begins with Monaco in early June. Portugal's return follows two weeks later, and the summer run then continues with Silverstone, Spielberg, Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring. Silverstone and Austria have swapped order compared with some earlier calendars, so the British race will precede the Austrian race in 2027.
Spa and Hungary will be held on two consecutive weekends at the end of July and the beginning of August, followed by the summer break. The championship returns from September 3 to 5 at Monza, with Madrid following the very next weekend. Spain will therefore be represented in 2027 by the race on the Madrid circuit, which will then be in its second season on the Formula 1 calendar.
The 2027 calendar does not include the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort, which held its final Grand Prix in 2026 under the previously agreed plan. At the same time, the returns of Portugal and Turkey demonstrate how intense the competition among hosts is. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali repeatedly stated during 2026 that the championship receives a large amount of interest in hosting races, while at the same time seeking to maintain its target of 24 Grand Prix weekends per year.
Three races in the USA, 22 countries and five continents in total
Although the calendar contains 24 Grands Prix, they are held in 22 countries. The reason is the American part of the championship: the United States has three separate events, in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. Miami is scheduled for the beginning of May, Austin from October 22 to 24, and Las Vegas from November 18 to 20.
The autumn part of the championship is particularly dense. After the Baku-Istanbul-Singapore triple-header, there is one free weekend, followed by Austin, Ciudad de México and São Paulo on three consecutive weekends. The Brazilian weekend also includes a Sprint. Las Vegas then follows, before a break ahead of the final Qatar-Abu Dhabi double-header.
Formula 1 says that the geographical grouping of events remains part of a long-term attempt to rationalize travel and logistics. In practice, the calendar remains extremely demanding: the championship stretches from the end of February, when testing begins, until mid-December, while teams and logistics operations cross multiple continents and time zones during the year. The 2027 schedule therefore combines commercially important destinations, traditional European circuits and the return of two hosts that had not been part of the championship for several years.
What the confirmed schedule means for the 2027 season
With 24 Grand Prix weekends, Formula 1 is not increasing the total number of main races compared with the target it has regarded in recent years as the upper level of a sustainable calendar, but the increase in Sprints significantly raises the number of competitive sessions. Ten Sprint weekends mean that almost half of all Grand Prix events will contain an additional short race and separate Sprint Qualifying. This will affect how teams plan their weekends, the amount of practice time available and risk management throughout the long season.
At the same time, the calendar brings back two circuits with very different characteristics. Portimão brings a fast, undulating layout in southern Portugal and a two-year return at least through 2028, while Istanbul Park brings a five-year commitment through 2031 and the return of one of the more technically distinctive circuits of Formula 1's modern era. With a Sprint in Monaco and Sprint finales in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the 2027 season will be organizationally and sporting-wise different even though the number of Grands Prix remains the same.
The official confirmation of the calendar several months before the championship begins gives teams, promoters and fans a clear framework for a season that will run from March to December, with testing at the end of February. According to the published schedule, Formula 1 will once again connect five continents in 2027, bring Portugal and Turkey back, retain 24 main races and stage ten Sprint events in a single season for the first time.
Sources:
- Formula 1 - official announcement of the 2027 calendar, dates of all 24 Grand Prix weekends and list of 10 Sprint events (link)
- FIA - confirmation of the 2027 Formula 1 World Championship calendar following approval by the World Motor Sport Council (link)
- Formula 1 - additional overview of the schedule, geographical sequence of races, return of Portugal and Turkey and pre-season testing (link)
- Formula 1 - official announcement of Portugal's return in 2027 and 2028 and information about the Portimão circuit (link)
- FIA - official announcement of Turkey's return to Istanbul Park from 2027 through 2031 and the history of the race (link)
- Formula 1 - explanation of the expansion of the Sprint programme to 10 weekends and data on audience interest (link)
- Formula 1 - official confirmation that the Dutch race at Zandvoort in 2026 was the last under the agreed plan (link)