Formula 1 published its calendar for 2027 on 16 September, and the Gulf sits at both ends of it. After approval by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, the FIA and Formula 1 confirmed a season of 24 Grands Prix and 10 Sprint races. It is scheduled to open in Bahrain in March and to close in Abu Dhabi in December, with Saudi Arabia second on the calendar and Qatar second to last.
Three of the four Gulf rounds will be Sprint weekends in 2027, and for Bahrain and Abu Dhabi it will be the first time. Before then, the 2026 season still has two Gulf races to run: Qatar at the end of November, and the finale in Abu Dhabi a week later.
This guide brings together every Gulf date across the two seasons, with notes on the circuits, on how a Sprint weekend works and on planning a trip.
What changes in 2027
A Sprint is a shorter race of about 100 kilometres, held on the Saturday of selected weekends and carrying its own championship points. The number of Sprints rises from six this year to ten next year, and Australia, Bahrain, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi will host one for the first time. F1 says Sprint weekends have averaged 12 per cent higher viewership than other race weekends.
Stefano Domenicali, F1’s President and CEO, said the larger Sprint programme would be "giving our fans even more intensity, drama, and the wheel-to-wheel action that make our sport so special." Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA President, said the calendar "combines tradition, innovation, and fan engagement."
Because Bahrain is a Sprint weekend, the Associated Press notes that 2027 would be the first season to begin with a Sprint before the year’s first Grand Prix. The AP also reports that all four Gulf hosts hold long-term contracts with the sport. Elsewhere on the calendar, Portugal returns at Portimão in June, Türkiye is due back in Istanbul in October, subject to approval of the circuit, and the Dutch Grand Prix leaves the calendar.
The 2026 finale: Lusail and Yas Marina
Neither Gulf race is a Sprint weekend this year. The six 2026 Sprints are in China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore, so both Gulf rounds keep the standard timetable, with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
- Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail International Circuit: 27 to 29 November, race on Sunday 29 November
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit: 4 to 6 December, race on Sunday 6 December
Lusail, north of Doha, first hosted Formula 1 in 2021 and runs its race at night under floodlights. Yas Marina, on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, has hosted the sport since 2009. Its race starts in daylight and finishes under floodlights, so the last laps of the season are run after dark.
As of 16 September, the AP reported that both races remained on the schedule and that tickets were on sale. The two rounds fall on consecutive weekends, so one trip can take in the last two races of the year. If the championship is still open by then, it will be decided in the Gulf.
The 2027 Gulf dates
The new season is due to start and end in the region. These are the dates as announced:
- Pre-season testing, Bahrain International Circuit: 24 to 27 February
- Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, round 1, with a Sprint: 12 to 14 March
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah, round 2: 19 to 21 March
- Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail, round 23, with a Sprint: 3 to 5 December
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina, round 24 and the finale, with a Sprint: 10 to 12 December
Bahrain first hosted Formula 1 in 2004, and its Sakhir circuit was the first Formula 1 venue in the Middle East. The Grand Prix there has been run at night since 2014. Jeddah Corniche Circuit, on the calendar since 2021, is a fast street circuit along the Red Sea shoreline, also raced at night. Saudi Arabia will be the only one of the four Gulf rounds without a Sprint in 2027.
How a Sprint weekend works
A Sprint weekend packs more racing into the same three days. There is a single practice session on the Friday, followed by Sprint qualifying, which sets the grid for Saturday’s short race. Qualifying for the Grand Prix follows later on Saturday, and the Grand Prix itself runs on Sunday as usual.
For spectators, the practical difference is that every day has something at stake. On a standard weekend, Friday is given over to practice. On a Sprint weekend, Friday ends with a qualifying session and Saturday has a race. Anyone choosing between a single-day ticket and a three-day pass should note that Saturday, with both the Sprint and qualifying for the Grand Prix, offers the most in a single day.
Planning the two seasons
The 2027 calendar pairs the Gulf rounds. Bahrain and Jeddah fall on consecutive weekends in March, as do Lusail and Yas Marina in December, so each pair can be covered in a trip of about ten days.
Most of the region’s big motoring events fall between November and March, when temperatures are lower, so it pays to settle flights and hotels well ahead of a race weekend. Buy tickets through official channels: formula1.com and the circuits’ own websites.
PlanetF1 notes that F1 lists its Middle East events with conditions attached. Check the dates on formula1.com again before booking.
Why it matters
Four Gulf states now host a round of the world championship. In 2027 the Gulf will frame the Formula 1 season, with the first two races and the last two, and three of its four rounds will carry the extra race on Saturday. For readers who plan their winters around motorsport, the diary for the next fifteen months is now set.
Sources: McLaren, Formula 1, Gulf News, Associated Press, PlanetF1