Bahrain to Open the 2027 F1 Season With First Ever Sprint Weekend

Bahrain will open the 2027 Formula 1 (F1) season, host a Sprint weekend for the first time, and run a shorter pre-season test, according to the newly released 2027 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar. The 24-race season begins at Bahrain International Circuit before moving straight to Saudi Arabia, the first of two Middle East double-headers on the calendar.

Bahrain returns to the front of the calendar in 2027, after Australia hosted the season opener in 2026.

As F1.com’s Lawrence Baretto reported, Australia moves to round three for 2027, forming a triple header with Japan and China. That shift clears the way for Bahrain to open the season instead, kicking off a year that runs across 24 Grands Prix in 22 countries. Saudi Arabia follows immediately after as round two, giving the season its first Middle East double header before the teams head south to Melbourne.

A First Sprint Weekend for the Bahrain International Circuit

Bahrain will host a Formula 1 Sprint for the first time in 2027, as the format expands from six weekends to 10.

According to F1.com, Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi have all been added as new Sprint hosts, while Canada, Britain, Italy, Brazil and Qatar continue with the format. The expansion follows strong demand since the Sprint was introduced in 2021: F1 reports that Sprint weekends draw 12 per cent higher viewership than standard race weekends, and that most fans see Sprint Qualifying as more engaging than a normal Friday practice session.

A Shorter Pre-Season Test

Pre-season testing for 2027 will be a single four-day session at Bahrain International Circuit, from 24 to 27 February.

That’s a lighter build-up than this year. With new technical regulations introduced for 2026, teams needed a five-day shakedown in Barcelona followed by two three-day tests in Bahrain to get up to speed. With those regulations staying stable into 2027, one test is judged enough, and it lands entirely in Sakhir just before the season-opening race.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE Also Feature

Saudi Arabia joins the opening double header with Bahrain, while Qatar and Abu Dhabi close out the season together in December.

Saudi Arabia’s round comes straight after Bahrain’s in March, rounding off the season’s first back-to-back weekend. At the other end of the calendar, Qatar and the UAE form the final double header, with Lusail hosting its Grand Prix before the season wraps up in Abu Dhabi. Both are Sprint weekends too. Lusail returns as a Sprint venue, while Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina joins the Sprint calendar for the first time.

The Rest of the 2027 Calendar

The 2027 season spans 10 months and five continents, with Portugal and Türkiye both returning after several years away.

After the Bahrain-Saudi Arabia opener and the Australia-Japan-China triple header, the calendar heads to North America for Miami, then Canada. Monaco opens the European leg in June, followed by the return of Portugal’s Portimão circuit on a two-year deal, known for its elevation changes and technical corners. Silverstone and Austria swap positions on the calendar, forming a double header, with a further double in Belgium and Hungary before the summer break.

The season resumes in September with Monza and Spain’s Madring circuit in Madrid paired together, before Türkiye returns to the calendar for the first time since 2021. Istanbul Park’s return sits in the middle of a triple header with Azerbaijan and Singapore, and comes on a five-year deal running through 2031. The closing stretch takes in Austin, Mexico City and Sao Paulo as a triple header, then Las Vegas, before the Qatar and Abu Dhabi finale.