Formula 1 confirmed its 2027 calendar will carry ten sprint weekends, and the detail that has stuck is Monaco, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi joining the list. As of today, 1 October 2026, that remains the position: Monaco gets a sprint race for the first time, and the paddock has had a week or so to digest it.
Verstappen reacts to Monaco sprint plans the way he reacts to most calendar tinkering: without much fuss. Sergio Perez found out through the drivers’ WhatsApp group before it became official, and Arvid Lindblad has already made the case for a different street circuit, Baku, to get a sprint slot of its own instead.
Sergio Perez reveals driver WhatsApp reaction to Monaco news
Perez learned about the Monaco sprint addition the way plenty of drivers hear calendar news these days: through the group chat. According to a Motorsport.com report, he said: “I found out through our [WhatsApp] group, actually. There were some comments there.”
He kept most of that reaction to himself. “It was a bit busy in the group! I didn’t pay much attention, other than what happened in the group. And that stays in the group, as you can imagine,” Perez said. It’s a small window into how drivers process changes to their own calendar long before the official statements go out.
Max Verstappen dismisses excitement over Monaco sprint format
Verstappen’s view hasn’t shifted since he first addressed the news. He isn’t fighting the expansion, but he isn’t enthusiastic about it either. “Yeah, more sprint races… Personally, I’m not a fan of it, but I understand the reasoning behind it, of course,” he said.
He separates the show from his own job. “It brings more action throughout the weekend, so yeah, we’ll participate… But, for me, I always think about the grand prix and that’s where my main focus is,” Verstappen explained. That pragmatic view is central to how Verstappen reacts to Monaco sprint plans: the grand prix stays the job, the sprint is a bonus.
On track, he expects little to change from a normal Monaco weekend. “About the sprint in Monaco, yeah, it’s the same scenario as what happens in the main race, right?” he said. “Like, you are excited for the start and then you can’t pass. That’s quite straightforward.”
Asked if Monaco’s selection surprised him, he shrugged it off. “I don’t know. For me, I honestly don’t care where the sprint races are,” Verstappen said. His attitude to actually winning one is just as flat: “I just participate and of course you try to do the best you can. But I have no emotion attached to winning a sprint race or not winning it.”
Arvid Lindblad champions Baku as alternative sprint venue
Lindblad’s take is less about which track joins the format and more about what a sprint does to a race weekend. He thinks it pushes drivers to adapt earlier. “If you’re P15, maybe you don’t try as hard, but the top teams, they’d always have to push. I think it would just mean that you can’t build as nicely as you’d want towards qualifying. You just have to get outside your comfort zone a bit earlier in the weekend,” he said. There’s a trade-off too: “Maybe you take a bit less risk,” he added.
Lindblad would rather see a sprint added at Baku than at a track where overtaking is hard. “This should be a sprint, this would be an amazing sprint race,” he said of the Azerbaijan street circuit. “In the end, it’s a track we can pass and the whole point of a sprint race is the idea of a flat-out race and passing. I think this should be one.” Baku has no sprint slot in 2026 or 2027, so for now that’s a suggestion rather than a plan.
Which new venues will host F1 sprint races in 2027?
Monaco, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi are the three venues added to the sprint roster for 2027, taking the total from seven to ten sprint weekends. Monaco is the standout addition, given how rarely anything changes at a circuit that has hosted a grand prix since 1950. For more on how that weekend came together, read the original Verstappen reaction report.
Bahrain and Abu Dhabi already host grands prix; both have wide, modern layouts that suit sprint racing better than Monaco’s tight streets. Baku isn’t among the ten despite Lindblad’s preference, and nothing confirmed so far changes that.
What happens next for the 2027 sprint format
For now, the ten-race sprint format is set for 2027, and driver reaction ranges from indifferent to openly unconvinced. Verstappen’s stance looks unlikely to shift: he races to win grands prix and treats sprints as a side event. Perez and Lindblad’s comments suggest the paddock finds out about these changes much like supporters do, through leaks and group chats ahead of any formal announcement.
We’ve covered the wider sprint calendar debate before, including in our earlier report and a previous F1 talking points roundup. Further detail on session times and formats is likely once F1 and the FIA finalise the 2027 sporting regulations.
