2027 F1 Calendar: Portimão and Istanbul Return, Monaco Gets a Sprint

The race count is familiar. The choice facing fans is rather more interesting: Portimão and Istanbul Park are back, while Barcelona and Zandvoort are absent from next year’s schedule. And yes, Monaco is getting a Sprint.

The Portuguese Grand Prix returns to Portimão on 18–20 June, its first F1 weekend since 2021. The Algarve circuit’s steep climbs and plunges make it an appealing counterpoint to F1’s growing collection of urban tracks. For a spectator weighing up a new European trip, the circuit is the attraction as much as the destination. F1’s agreement with Portugal covers 2027 and 2028.

Istanbul Park follows on 1–3 October, between Baku and Singapore. Its long, multi-apex Turn 8 is a much better reason to celebrate than a press release’s promise of more spectacle. F1 last raced there in 2021; the return deal runs through 2031.

Elsewhere, the 2027 calendar looks different, too. Barcelona-Catalunya sits out 2027, but it has not vanished for good: its rotation agreement with Spa-Francorchamps brings it back in 2028, 2030 and 2032, while Spa remains on the 2027 calendar. That leaves Madrid as Spain’s only race next year, on 10–12 September.

The expansion from six to ten Sprint weekends puts the short race at Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Britain, Italy, Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Five of those venues—Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi—have never hosted one before. Love them or hate them, for someone in a grandstand, it means competitive running on all three days rather than Friday being mostly practice.

For even the most die-hard Sprint fans though, the adition of Monaco is an eyebrow-raiser. An extra race on streets where passing is notoriously difficult may well result in no overtaking at all, especially as drivers will be conscious of preserving their car’s bodywork for the main event. The extra qualifying laps are the real prize. At a venue renowned for having the greatest qualifying session of the year, why not have two?

The announced opening double-header deserves a little perspective, too. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are scheduled for March after their 2026 rounds didn’t take place due to the situation in the Middle East. What the situation will be six months from now is anyones guess, so surfice it to say, if you’re planning to attend try and stay flexible with your travel plans.

*Subject to FIA circuit homologation. Pre-season testing is scheduled for 24–27 February in Bahrain.