Bahrain has been awarded the honour of hosting the season-opening race of the 2027 FIA Formula One World Championship, with the F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix being held as a sprint race weekend for the first time in its history.
F1 and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) yesterday announced next season’s 24-race calendar, flagging off at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir between March 12 and 14.
It will be the first opportunity for fans to see the 2027 cars in competitive action.
The grand prix will be the seventh time that Bahrain has hosted F1’s curtain-raising event.
The kingdom was also confirmed yesterday as the venue for pre-season testing, scheduled for February 24 to 27.
Furthermore, it was announced that Bahrain will host its inaugural F1 sprint race.
The addition of the sprint will boost the excitement for fans, with thrilling racing action across all three days of the F1 weekend.
“It’s a great honour for us to be hosting both pre-season testing and the season-opening race in 2027, which will incorporate our first ever sprint race weekend,” said BIC chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.
“As we plan the final stages of this year’s F1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, we also look ahead to the return of F1 to BIC, ‘The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’.
“It will be a celebratory homecoming and a weekend of incredible entertainment on-and-off the track, welcoming our expectant fans from Bahrain and across the world.”
After this year’s Sakhir setting was cancelled due to regional conflict, race fans were delighted by the breaking news that the kingdom would welcome back the biggest names in motorsport in 2027. The kingdom’s hospitality sector will also gain a much-needed boost too.
Long-term British expatriate businessman David Axtell said: “It’s incredibly exciting and I’ve already been receiving calls from friends overseas asking how to get tickets!”
Next year’s F1 calendar includes the return of Portugal on June 20 and Türkiye on October 3.
After pre-season testing and the opening grand prix in Bahrain, F1 will head to Saudi Arabia the following weekend.
After races in Australia, Japan, China, Miami and Canada, Monaco will mark the start of the European season on June 6.
Following further races across Asia and the Americas, the season will conclude on December 12 in Abu Dhabi.
Ticketing details for the 2027 F1 weekend in Bahrain will be announced soon.
2027 F1 calendar
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