Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali reveals that the number of sprint races will increase in 2027. Although the Italian executive does not yet mention concrete numbers, he does reveal that a sprint weekend will also be organized in Monza next year. According to Domenicali, Formula 1 is increasingly adapting to its younger fans: ‘They increasingly appreciate the idea of a qualifying session on Friday’.
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The first sprint race in Formula 1 was held in 2021 during the British GP. Since then, the format has grown significantly, and this season no fewer than six sprint weekends are on the calendar. CEO Stefano Domenicali is now a big fan of the format, but that was not always the case.
“I was the first who, as a dinosaur of Formula 1, had doubts when we introduced the sprints,” he tells various media. “But the data does not lie: promoters, media, and fans have overwhelmingly embraced the format.” So it is high time to increase the number of sprints for 2027. “There will be more sprints next year than this year,” reveals the Italian executive.
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‘Not as many sprints as in MotoGP’
Although Domenicali does not yet give an exact number, he does say that one sprint weekend will take place next year during the Italian GP. “There will be a sprint in Monza,” he reveals. The Italian also makes it clear that the premier class will not implement the format as extensively as in MotoGP. There, a sprint is now organized every race weekend. “There will definitely not be as many as in MotoGP. There will be fewer than during half of the races.”
Why Domenicali wants to increase the number mainly has to do with the increasingly younger audience of Formula 1. “Young people increasingly appreciate the idea of a race weekend where there is already a qualifying on Friday and not just practice sessions that they don’t care about at all,” he concludes.
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