Lewis Hamilton has questioned Formula 1’s decision to bring a sprint race to Monaco in 2027, arguing that an extra race on the principality’s narrow streets will do little to improve the action. “It makes no sense to me,” the Ferrari driver said in Baku ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to Reuters. The seven-time world champion said Monaco needed a different idea, but did not propose a specific replacement.

F1 has confirmed Monaco for a sprint weekend on 4–6 June 2027. The event will be one of a record ten sprints on next year’s calendar, up from six in 2026. Hamilton, who has won the Monaco Grand Prix three times, does not object to the sprint format everywhere. His concern is whether it suits a circuit where passing another car is exceptionally difficult.

Two qualifying sessions, two races

The format gives Monaco a sprint qualifying session on Friday and a short race on Saturday morning. Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix follows later on Saturday. F1 emphasises that fans will see drivers attack the circuit in two qualifying sessions, when the precision required between Monaco’s barriers has long been a highlight of the weekend.

Hamilton’s objection is to the other half of that bargain. The sprint adds a race of around 100 kilometres to a weekend already known for processional racing. He said the sport should find a different way to change Monaco rather than assume that more laps of competitive racing will create more overtaking. His criticism is a judgment about the likely spectacle, not a claim that the 2027 sprint has already failed.

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Verstappen shares the concern

Max Verstappen also questioned what an additional race would change. Speaking to Reuters in Baku, the Red Bull driver suggested the sprint could follow the familiar Monaco pattern: an exciting start followed by drivers struggling to pass. Lando Norris said there were better circuits at which to stage a sprint, although he noted that drivers do not choose the venues.

F1 sees a wider benefit in the format. In its 2027 sprint announcement, it said total viewership of sprint weekends has been 12% higher than that of weekends without a sprint. Monaco will test whether extra qualifying drama and more championship points are enough to make a second race worthwhile on a circuit where position is so difficult to change.

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