The number of short races (Sprints) has been increased from 6 to 10 in the 2027 calendar of the Formula 1 World Championship, according to what was announced on Wednesday, with the 24-round season starting from Bahrain, leading to the final race in Abu Dhabi.
The season is scheduled to start next March 14 with the Bahrain Prize, which returns to its usual time to open the season, followed immediately the following week by the Saudi Race, after they canceled this season due to the war in the Middle East, while the Australian Prize becomes the third round.
After Japan and China in April, Formula 1 heads to Miami and Montreal the following month, separated by 3 weeks.
The first European round will be on the streets of Monaco on June 6, with the excitement in the principality heightened by the addition of the short race, for the first time there.
Portugal returns to the calendar, for the first time since 2021, with a race at the Algarve Circuit in Portimão on June 20, followed by the British Prix on July 4 at the Silverstone Circuit, then Austria, Belgium and Hungary before the summer break.
The season resumes with the Italian race, on September 5, at the Montsa circuit.
Like Portugal, Türkiye also returns to the calendar with a race scheduled for October 3, while the Netherlands is now off the calendar.
The season concludes with two back-to-back races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, on December 5 and 12 respectively, both with a short race.
The short race will be held, for the first time, in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi, while it will return to Canada, Britain, Italy, Brazil and Qatar.
Formula 1 management commented, in a statement, on the 2027 calendar, saying: “Due to the continued success and strong demand, the number of short races has increased from 6 to 10 in 2027, providing more competition throughout the season for fans, organisers, broadcasters and partners.”
She added: “Since the introduction of the short race in 2021, data shows that total viewership for weekends that include a short race is 12 percent higher, compared to weekends that do not include a short race, and short race qualifiers are up to three times more popular with fans, compared to free trials.”
The winter pre-season tests return to one period lasting 4 days in Bahrain between February 24 and 27.
As for the conclusion of the 2026 season, Formula 1 confirms that the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races will be held on their scheduled dates on November 29 and December 6, until further notice.
The Philippine Tennis Association submitted a request to the Women's Professional Players Association on behalf of Alexandra Eala to obtain an exemption from the mandatory participation in the China Open, allowing the 18th-ranked player in the world to represent her country in the Asian Games.
Ayala, who has become one of the most prominent rising tennis stars thanks to her victories over big names such as Iga Szwontek and Coco Gauff, is the highest-ranked player in the “Women’s Singles” competition at the “Asian Games”, which begins on Saturday in Japan and continues until next October 4.
However, the “Aichi-Nagoya Tournament” competitions overlap with the “China Open Championship.” One of the mandatory tournaments of the “Thousand Points Category” affiliated with the “Women Professionals Federation”, scheduled in Beijing starting on September 30 of this year.
Female players who are absent from one of the mandatory “1,000-point category” tournaments without obtaining an official exemption are subject to points being deducted from their classification, in addition to the possibility of financial fines being imposed on them.
John Ray Tiangco, Secretary General of the Philippine Tennis Association, said in a statement to the media: “We have submitted a formal request for an exemption, and we respect the procedures approved by the WTA... At the same time, Alex has made her decision to represent the Philippines in the (Asian Games), and we fully support her.”
Reuters contacted the Women’s Professional Players Association to obtain a comment.
Earlier this week, Indonesian Janis Tjen was forced to withdraw from the Asian Games after she failed to obtain an exemption from participating in the China Open.
However, Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino confirmed that Ayala will participate in the Asian Games regardless of the WTA’s decision.
He said: “The Women’s Professional Federation has its own regulations, and violating those regulations results in penalties. But Alex will be in Nagoya to raise her country’s flag and represent her country.”
In the past few hours, the Spanish media has been abuzz with the decision of the Frenchmen Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konate, and the Brazilian Vinicius Junior to hide the expression of solidarity with Ceuta, the Spanish enclave located in North Africa, ahead of Real Madrid’s victory over its host Elche, 3-2, on Tuesday, in the Spanish League.
Unlike their colleagues and Elche players, Mbappe, Konate and Vinicius raised their shirts to approximately the level of their chests, so that the phrase “We are all from Ceuta” was no longer fully visible.
Everyone participated in the traditional handshake before the start of the match, before taking off their shirts and wearing the match’s playing kit.
But Vinicius and Mbappe took off their shirts before shaking hands with the Elche players, while their teammates were still wearing them.
This step, which Real Madrid highlighted through its official channels with an emphasis on “showing solidarity with Ceuta,” falls within an initiative launched by the Valencia Businessmen Association in support of the Spanish enclave, which is witnessing increasing tensions following the influx of large numbers of immigrants coming from Morocco.
Tens of thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31.
Most returned within the hours following their arrival, but several thousand remained in Ceuta.
Local residents have organized repeated protests as a result of migrants camping on the beaches and sleeping in the streets, accusing the Spanish government of abandoning the city, which is facing a humanitarian crisis.
The Spanish government announced, on Sunday, that more than 5,300 migrants who remained in Ceuta returned to Morocco within one month.
The government had to verify the identities of thousands of migrants who remained in the city for weeks to determine whether they qualified for asylum, while unaccompanied children could not be immediately deported.
The matches between Levante against Barcelona and Villarreal against Real Betis witnessed similar solidarity with the Spanish enclave.
Real Madrid agreed to a request submitted by Elche, so the players took to the field wearing white shirts bearing the phrase “We are all from Ceuta.” However, the Royal Club respects the diversity of opinions and sensitivities within the locker room, and gave each player the freedom to choose individually whether or not to wear the shirt, according to AS newspaper.
Barcelona players did not wear this shirt last Sunday before their match against Levante (4-2), while the latter's players wore it during the moments before the match.
On Tuesday, the Moroccan international winger of Real Betis, Abdel Samad Zalzouli, was forced to defend himself after being subjected to insults on social media for wearing the shirt before his team’s match against Villarreal on Monday (2-1).
Some social media users accused the 24-year-old player of betraying his country, and demanded his exclusion from the Moroccan national team.
Zalzouli - whose knee injury forced him to withdraw from Morocco's World Cup squad this summer - defended his participation in this initiative, stressing on Tuesday that it did not carry any political intention or any goal to offend Morocco.
He said in a post on Instagram: “I want to make one thing clear... The shirt supporting the people of Ceuta was not used at any time for a political purpose or out of disdain towards my people, the Moroccan people.”
The former Barcelona winger described the initiative as a social gesture to support the city’s residents “regardless of their nationality.”
He added: “This is not an apology to anyone. “I will continue to hold my head high and represent my roots with pride and sacrifice.”
