Earlier this week, the full 2027 Formula 1 season schedule was revealed. Alongside some returning destinations to the calendar, one addition that nobody saw coming was a sprint race at the Monaco Grand Prix.

With its narrow streets and tight corners, the Monaco circuit is not an ideal sprint candidate. Why is Formula 1 trying to make this happen? We unpack it below.

What makes a good sprint race

While most of the F1 season consists of traditional Grand Prix races, a sprint event is a condensed format designed to bring more action. A typical Sprint race covers about one third of a GP distance, to encourage more dynamic racing with no mandatory pit stops. A maximum of eight points are available, with the winner receiving eight points and P8 receiving one point.

So how are the tracks chosen for a sprint race? In F1’s own words, the criteria for sprints are as follows: “Tracks with great overtaking potential, picked to try and ensure the sprint is a flat-out, aggressive melee from start to finish.”

Based on their own criteria, Monaco should never have been a candidate for a sprint race. The Monaco circuit is extremely narrow, with pole position during qualifying often being a springboard to a GP win. While the circuit is iconic and an important part of Formula 1 history, overtakes on this track are few and far between. Due to red flags, there were 10 overtakes at this year’s Monaco GP, but only one in 2025, which is much more typical of the circuit.

It’s safe to say the choice to host a sprint race in Monaco is baffling, and has all the makings of an absolute snoozefest.

The trend towards more sprints in 2027

Typically only a few races per season feature sprint races, but this trend is quickly changing. In 2025 and 2026, there were six sprint races, making up 25% of the calendar. In 2027, this is increasing to 10 races, or 40% of the calendar. Rather than being a novelty, sprint races are becoming the norm.

Considering the new regulation this season, sprint races have become a bit of an annoyance. With the exception of the Canadian GP weekend, most sprints this year have not featured any standout moments. Battery management struggles and a heavy first half of the sprint calendar have seen a lot of passing and re-passing as drivers adapted to their new cars, rather than dynamic and impactful moments.

The 2027 sprints could be more exciting after a year to adapt to new regulations, but my hopes aren’t high after the sprint races this year.

Cash is king

All of this raises the question: why schedule a sprint race at a track with a notorious reputation for boring outcomes?

Let’s start with the positives. For live attendees, a sprint race offers more opportunities to watch drivers in action. Additionally, more sprint races give drivers more of an opportunity to secure points. This could mean possibilities of a shakeup in the standings, making the Constructors’ or the Drivers’ Championship potentially more thrilling.

Now onto the negatives. F1 seems to think that fans love sprints, and claims to be increasing them due to the “increasing popularity of the format.” It’s true that a sprint can add higher stakes to a race weekend with more points up for grabs, but the majority of sprint races have not paid off this year in their entertainment value.

This leaves one possible objective for F1, and that’s money. Every F1 fan knows that at the end of the day, most decisions in this sport come down to money. Adding a sprint race to an extra 4 races provides additional opportunities for ticket sales, for both sprint qualifying and the sprint.

Formula 1 has arguably never been more popular, and despite skyrocketing ticket prices, the demand for tickets is at an all-time high. F1 knows how to take advantage of this. In the past year alone, increased team sponsorships, dedicated driver grandstands, and licensing opportunities (including the F1 movie) have been frequent.

Formula 1 is undoubtedly an expensive sport to fund, but the commercialization of all aspects of the sport while sacrificing driver and fan experience leaves a bad taste.

Should you tune into the Monaco sprint?

There are no promises of an exciting Monaco sprint, but at the very least it will be historic. If the 2027 calendar is any indication, sprint races are here to stay, and fans will have to get used to them, whether they like it or not.