Lando Norris believes that the Sprint format, which will be used for the first time at the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula 1 next year, can quickly increase the risk for drivers. The main difficulty will be reaching the limit with only one free practice session before the Sprint qualifying.
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The 2027 calendar will have ten rounds with Sprint races, four more than the six previously planned. Among the new features is Monaco, which will host a Sprint race for the first time, with only one free practice session before the fight for the starting position in the short race.
This format provides for FP1 and Sprint qualifying on Friday, while the Sprint race and the qualifying session for the GP will be held on Saturday. The weekend ends on Sunday with the Monaco GP, leaving drivers only sixty minutes to work on car preparation before the position-deciding contest begins.
Norris assessed that this sequence will be particularly demanding on the streets of the Principality: “Interesting. I think the main thing is that you will have FP1 and Sprint qualifying on Friday, which is the challenge,” the driver told Sky Sports. According to him, the situation will be unusual because drivers will need to get straight into the rhythm after a single practice session.
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The current Formula 1 champion also highlighted that the time limitation will require greater reliance on already available data: “This will depend more on this year’s data. Obviously, it’s harder for us, drivers,” he said.
For the Brit, this may force drivers to take risks earlier: “You’ll probably have to take a bit more risk at the start,” he added, explaining that it is usually possible to find the difference between those who manage to gain confidence progressively and those who exceed the limit.
In Monaco, this margin will be especially small. Norris also pointed out: “Getting to 103% or 104% instead of staying close to 99% is game over,” he concluded. Despite the additional risks, he considers that the format can make the event ‘more exciting for fans and for the people watching’.
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