Monaco gets a Sprint, Mir withdraws from Austria

Formula 1 and the FIA have confirmed the 2027 calendar: 24 Grands Prix in 22 countries and ten Sprint weekends, up from six. Monaco will host a Sprint for the first time, despite overtaking remaining especially difficult on its tight street circuit.

The change mainly reshapes the weekend format: one practice session will precede Sprint Qualifying, with a second qualifying session setting the Grand Prix grid. Bahrain, Australia, Japan and Abu Dhabi will also host their first Sprints. Portugal and Türkiye return, Bahrain opens the season and Abu Dhabi closes it.

Joan Mir will miss the Austrian Grand Prix. After withdrawing at Misano, medical checks in Barcelona revealed altered blood parameters that require further investigation. Honda says there is still no clear diagnosis and Mir's medical team has advised him to focus on recovery.

Takaaki Nakagami will replace him at the Red Bull Ring. Honda's development rider has just completed a Mugello test and was already due to take part in Monday's post-race test. Mir is now targeting a return at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Tech3 has confirmed Senna Agius for MotoGP in 2027. The 20-year-old Australian will step up from Moto2 to partner Luca Marini as the championship moves to 850cc engines, Pirelli tyres and a new technical rulebook.

The signing fills the final available seat, completing the 22-rider MotoGP grid for 2027. Tech3 says it wanted to pair Marini's experience with a young rider it can develop at the start of the new era.

Ferrari completed 127 laps and 623 km on the opening day of Pirelli's Imola test, split between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. The programme focused on several C3, C4 and C5 prototype compounds, with short runs followed by longer stints.

Lap times are not a sporting comparison: Pirelli controls the programmes as it narrows the options before finalising the 2027 range. The useful information is the volume of data gathered, not which driver set the faster lap.

Ai Ogura is heading to the Red Bull Ring after receiving positive news from a medical check in Barcelona. The Trackhouse rider missed Aragón and Misano after surgery on a fracture near his left thumb following a training crash in Japan.

His return is not guaranteed yet: he must pass the circuit's mandatory medical check on Thursday. If cleared, it will be his first Grand Prix since Silverstone. Ogura remains sixth in the championship, 71 points off the lead.

Haas is talking to several potential partners to increase its 2027 budget. Ayao Komatsu says negotiations are positive and wants the team to move closer to the roughly $215 million cost cap. Haas has just over 400 employees and still operates below that ceiling.

A budget cap only levels the field when teams can actually reach it. More revenue would give Haas greater scope to hire, improve its tools and develop the car without having to choose so sharply between competing programmes.

The Red Bull Ring will host the next official Pirelli tyre test for MotoGP 2027 on Monday, the day after the Austrian Grand Prix. After Brno's session with contracted riders, this test is also set to bring independent teams into the work on the future 850cc machines.

The programme is focused on gathering data for Pirelli and the manufacturers, so no sporting conclusions should be drawn from lap times. The Austrian data will help shape the final tyre specification before the end-of-season Valencia test.

Formula 1's official 2026 calendar still lists Qatar on 27-29 November and Abu Dhabi on 4-6 December. No cancellation has been announced, and F1 says both rounds remain scheduled unless a different decision is taken.

At the same time, Motorsport.com reports that preparations are continuing at Imola so a fallback exists if the regional situation ultimately prevents the two Middle East races. This is not a confirmed calendar change: for now, Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain the official final two rounds.