F1 set to make major calendar change with announcement expected 'very, very soon'

Formula 1's 2027 season is set to expand even further with major changes coming to the race calendar to be announced in the near future.

The 2026 Formula One season is well underway, with nine race weekends already completed and two more to come before the summer break.

In total, the 2026 race calendar includes 24 race weekends, including the two cancelled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, meaning we are already approaching the half-way point of the season.

With that in mind, F1 officials are already working on the full schedule for next year, with President Stefano Domenicali confirming that an announcement for next year would be coming "very soon".

And that's not all that Domenicali teased, as it appears that the 2027 season could feature an additional number of Sprint weekends with the calendar set to include a total of 34 races.

While the number of Grands Prix is expected to remain at 24, F1 is reportedly set to increase the number of sprint rounds from six to as many as 10.

The Sprint race celebrated marked its five-year anniversary at the British Grand Prix last weekend, with the Silverstone race one of six taking place this season.

And Domenicali believes that for next year, it makes sense to add even more Sprints to the calendar.

"If you remember in the beginning, people were always sceptical of what we're doing, and I think that we have the duty to be, in a way, brave and to think out of the box," Domenicali told Sky Sports.

"I think you see the effect. With the [150,000] people we had on Friday at Silverstone, if you don't give something that has an action it would be wrong.

"Therefore, I think that this is the way to go, and we are on the process of announcing the bigger number for the future and this will come when we announce the calendar very, very soon."

The announcement will no doubt be exciting for some fans who view the Sprints as a way to add further jeopardy and excitement to an otherwise standard race weekend.

But, there will also be some fans frustrated by the idea of more Sprints, with the format dividing fans since its introduction five years ago.

As for where the new Sprint races will take place, it's not yet known what F1 have in mind, but we can expect Silverstone to host one once again.

Which races will feature on the 2027 Formula One calendar?

Alongside the introduction of a host of new Sprints, the 2027 F1 calendar will be exciting as it sees the reintroduction of two European tracks to the race year.

Next year, both the Portuguese Grand Prix and Turkish Grand Prix are returning for 2027, while the Dutch Grand Prix will leave the schedule off after this year, while Barcelona goes into rotation with Belgium and next returns in 2028.

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Despite Melbourne hosting the season opener for the past two years, the 2027 season is expected to get underway at Bahrain following pre-season testing in the Gulf state.

The timing of Ramadan, as well as other logistical issues, has stopped Bahrain from hosting the opening race since 2024, but with the holy month set to conclude on March 7, Bahrain is expected to once again host round one next year.

Potential 2027 F1 calendar:

Bahrain – March 14

Saudi Arabia – March 21

Australia – April 4

China – April 11

Japan – April 25

Miami – May 9

Canada – May 23

Monaco – June 6

Portugal – June 13

Austria – June 27

Great Britain – July 4

Belgium – July 18

Hungary – July 25

Spain – August 29

Italy – September 5

Turkey – September 19

Azerbaijan – September 26

Singapore – October 10

United States – October 24

Mexico City – October 31

São Paulo – November 7

Las Vegas – November 20

Qatar – November 28

Abu Dhabi – December 5