The Biggest Problem with F1's 2027 Calendar

The F1 calendar for 2027 has just been announced and we've gone back to a 24-round season instead of the Iran war-shaped 20-odd that we have this season, assuming the orange overlord in the White House has finished his entirely legitimate operation in the Middle East by then. There will be a record 10 sprint weekends next year as the American bigwigs at Liberty Media try to milk the sport for as much money as they can. When have American capitalists ever tried doing that to a Euro-centric sport? In F1's seemingly endless determination to take the mick out of itself, following the snooze-fest that was the Spanish Grand Prix around the new Madring circuit, this week it was revealed that the sport will add an extra race at the one track that is as hard to pass on as the Madring. Yes, that's right, we've got a sprint race at Monaco for 2027. Because who doesn't want to see more processional races where the cars are as wide as the tracks they race on? In fairness, there are plenty of tracks that sprint races should be a positive next season such as Bahrain, Australia, Monza, Silverstone, Interlagos and Canada given that you can actually overtake on those tracks. But are there any positives to a sprint race around Monaco? Well, given that ginger-haired people from Suffolk from both sides in a hot debate is in vogue this week and I'm a member of that community, I'm going to try and do just that. The one main benefit to a sprint weekend is that this would lead to another qualifying session given that grids for the sprint races are decided by a shortened version of Grand Prix qualifying. Qualifying sessions in Monaco are often the best bit about the weekend as the immense driving challenge of flinging a car between the barriers can be one of the best spectacles of the season. To have that twice, even for purists like me, would be fun on a one-off basis. The lack of practice might lead to more unpredictability as drivers are straight into competitive sessions after just one free practice session which, around Monaco, can be costly as front runners may get unexpectedly dumped out of qualify and lose out on points in the championship. With sprint qualifying held on Fridays and the race on Saturday morning, at least two of the three days of the weekend would be interesting. Maybe even all three if you find the Grand Prix interesting, which many people still do. F1's bank balance would get a healthier top-up too but that's not really of consequence to the fans. What is of consequence is the fact that more sessions will matter. On the other hand, only the Grand Prix in Madrid this season has seen fewer on-track overtakes after lap one than Monaco with just four and it's well documented how bad that track is for racing. Monaco has long been known for its difficulties to pass at with F1 actually trying to artificially spice up the racing by mandating two pit stops in 2025. All that succeeded in was teams getting one driver to hold a pack up so that they could slot their other driver out ahead of that pack once they pitted and it turned into a farce. They all learned that from Fernando Alonso in what I think was the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, the one where he held up everybody at three seconds a lap and then gunned it whenever he felt like it. Because of the extra risk involved in sprint weekends in general, but particularly around Monaco, drivers could drive within themselves and not risk the car if there's nothing to play for, adding to the processional element of an already processional Grand Prix weekend. That being the case, maybe a practice session would actually end up being more entertaining for the viewers. Despite the thoughts of F1 CEO Stefano Dominicali, most F1 fans are still interested in those practice sessions and seeing how the teams develop through a weekend. Most of us, Mr Dominicali, have an attention span longer than Annette. A sprint around Monaco is effectively going to end up as a dress rehearsal for the Grand Prix, which would give the effect of déjà vu on Sunday given the lack of strategic manoeuvrability. So what would be the point in tuning in for the 78 laps when you've seen it all before? For F1, after the borefest of Madrid, a sprint race around Monaco feels like money men are making sporting decisions, once again to the detriment of the sport. So those are the quick pros and cons of a Monaco sprint race and thank you ever so much for watching. If you liked what you saw, please leave a like and subscribe to the channel along with hitting the bell icon so that you never miss out on anything that we do here at The Pit Crew Online. Thanks to your fantastic support, you can now also become a channel member for £1.99 a month to help us with image purchasing, the trackside coverage that we do, or otherwise greasing the wheels here. Or for a freer way to support us, you can also hype us if you're on a mobile device. And if you do that, you'll be my new best friend. So it's not all good. Anyway, we'll catch you at the next one. Take care!