F1 drivers split over whether Monaco Sprint 'makes sense' — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Formula 1 announced its 2027 calendar with Sprint events rising from six to ten, with Monaco hosting a Sprint weekend for the first time and a second qualifying session on Friday before a 100km Saturday race.
- Lewis Hamilton said the Monaco Sprint 'makes no sense,' calling the race 'as dull as it gets' and arguing Monaco 'needs something different' rather than the same race formula used elsewhere on the calendar.
- George Russell backed the format, saying normal race weekends feel 'long-winded' and that Sprint Qualifying is 'way more exciting than FP2,' concluding that 'on the whole it makes sense.'
- Max Verstappen, a past critic of Sprints, said he 'honestly don't care where the Sprints are' and has 'no emotion attached to winning a Sprint race,' noting he already raised concerns with F1 boss Stefano Domenicali.
- Sergio Perez said he learned of the Monaco change through the drivers' WhatsApp group and expects it to 'mix things around' after recent Monaco races had been effectively decided by Saturday.
- Lando Norris said fans should have a say in where Sprints are held, adding F1 'could have picked better races' to create an 'exciting Sprint race' given Monaco's reputation as one of the hardest tracks to overtake on.
- The split surfaced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix press conference in Baku, where F1 also promoted the Monaco Sprint as a chance for 'drivers to show their world-class skill and precision on the narrow streets of Monte Carlo.'
Why it matters: Monaco is the sport's most iconic and processional race, and adding a Sprint expands the experimental format to 10 of 24 weekends — meaning F1's marquee Sunday spectacle is now being reshaped to chase more competitive Friday and Saturday action, a trade-off Hamilton says dulls its identity while Russell argues modernizes it.
Ask SkimNews
