Sprint format under review again for 2027

The sprint format will be reviewed again before the 2027 season, with three separate proposals on the table at the next meeting of the Formula 1 Commission.

The first would lengthen the sprint from roughly 100km to 150km, forcing at least one pit stop. The second would widen the points scale from the current top eight to the top ten. The third, supported by two teams, would cut the number of sprint weekends from six to four.

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Where the teams stand

Larger teams are broadly in favour of longer sprints, arguing that a mandatory stop introduces strategy and reduces the processional character of the current format. Smaller teams are more concerned with the cost of damage, which falls outside the cap only in limited circumstances.

Drivers have been consistent in one respect: they want the weekend format to be the same at every event. "Six different Fridays and eighteen normal ones is the bit that makes no sense," said George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.