News Summary
- Qatar and Abu Dhabi will both host Sprint weekends at the end of the 2027 F1 season
- A driver can score a maximum of 33 points during each Sprint weekend, putting 66 on offer across the final two rounds
- Abu Dhabi will stage a Sprint for the first time as F1 expands the format from six to a record 10 events
Formula 1’s decision to give Abu Dhabi its first Sprint has created a potentially decisive conclusion to the 2027 championship, with a maximum of 66 driver points available across the final two rounds.
F1 confirmed on Wednesday that the Sprint format will expand from six to a record 10 weekends next season as part of its newly announced 24-round calendar.
The change has a particularly significant effect at the end of the year.
Qatar will host a Sprint for the fourth consecutive season on December 3-5 before Abu Dhabi stages its first on December 10-12, meaning both of the final two rounds will offer more points than a conventional Grand Prix weekend.
A driver who wins both Sprints and both Grands Prix can collect 66 points in just nine days.
That could significantly alter the mathematics of the 2027 championship battle.
Under the current points system, a Grand Prix victory is worth 25 points, while a Sprint win adds another 8. A perfect Sprint weekend is therefore worth 33 points to a driver.
With that format repeated in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, 66 points remain available when F1 arrives at Lusail for the penultimate round.
Abu Dhabi changes F1 title mathematics
Abu Dhabi has regularly hosted Formula 1’s season finale but has never previously held a Sprint.
That changes in 2027.
The Yas Marina weekend will include Sprint Qualifying on Friday, the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday and the final race of the championship on Sunday.
Its addition changes how large a lead a driver would need to guarantee the championship before the last race weekend.
With a conventional Abu Dhabi GP, a driver more than 25 points ahead after the penultimate round cannot be caught on points through the final race alone.
In 2027, as many as 33 points will remain available at Yas Marina.
That means a championship leader could arrive in Abu Dhabi with what would normally be more than a full Grand Prix victory in hand and still face a mathematical title challenge across the final weekend.
The impact begins one round earlier.
Qatar also has 33 points available, meaning the championship enters its final two events with a maximum swing of 66 points for an individual driver before tie-break scenarios are considered.
The 2027 F1 calendar therefore does more than expand the number of Sprints. It concentrates two of them at the point of the season where every additional championship point can carry greater consequences.
How many points are available in Qatar and Abu Dhabi?
| Session | Qatar | Abu Dhabi |
|---|---|---|
| Sprint win | 8 | 8 |
| Grand Prix win | 25 | 25 |
| Maximum | 33 | 33 |
| Final two rounds | 66 points maximum |
The Sprint awards points to the top eight finishers, with 8 for the winner, 7 for second and progressively fewer down to 1 point for eighth.
The Grand Prix continues to award 25 points for victory, 18 for second and 15 for third, with points extending to 10th place.
There is therefore another important consequence beyond the maximum available to one driver: more championship positions can potentially change during the final two weekends because points are distributed in four races rather than two.
A retirement or poor result in one Grand Prix also becomes less definitive when another points-paying race is held during the same weekend.
Conversely, a difficult Sprint can increase the pressure before the main race even begins.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi become F1’s only consecutive Sprints
The positioning of the two events is also unusual within the 2027 schedule.
Although F1 will hold 10 Sprints across the season, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the only two Sprint weekends scheduled consecutively.
The other eight are Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy and São Paulo.
Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi will all host the format for the first time.
F1 has progressively expanded the Sprint since introducing it in 2021. The championship held three Sprint events in each of its first two seasons with the format before increasing to six from 2023.
That number remained at six through 2026. The jump to 10 in 2027 is therefore the biggest single expansion since the format was introduced.
2027 finale will be different from 2026
The change is particularly clear when comparing the final two rounds.
Qatar already hosts a Sprint in 2026, but Abu Dhabi remains a conventional Grand Prix weekend. That means a maximum of 58 driver points is available across the last two rounds of the current season: 33 in Qatar and 25 in Abu Dhabi.
In 2027, Abu Dhabi’s Sprint increases that maximum to 66.
F1 has simultaneously made the logistical conclusion to the season less relentless.
Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close the 2026 championship on three consecutive weekends. In 2027, Las Vegas takes place on November 18-20 before a free weekend separates it from Qatar on December 3-5 and Abu Dhabi on December 10-12.
So while teams will gain some breathing room before the final double-header, the sporting intensity of those last two weekends increases.
Whether 66 points actually matter to the championship will depend entirely on how close the title fight is by December.
But the mathematics have already changed.
If the 2027 championship reaches Qatar with multiple drivers separated by anything close to that margin, Formula 1 will enter its final two rounds with more points available than at any two-race conclusion under the conventional Grand Prix format.
GRANDE PRÊMIO continues to follow all developments ahead of next season through its Formula 1 coverage.
FAQ
How many points are available in the final two F1 races of 2027?
A driver can score a maximum of 66 points across the Qatar and Abu Dhabi weekends. Both will feature Sprints, allowing a maximum of 33 points at each round: 8 for winning the Sprint and 25 for winning the Grand Prix.
Will Abu Dhabi have an F1 Sprint in 2027?
Yes. Abu Dhabi will host a Sprint for the first time in 2027. The Yas Marina Circuit remains the season finale, scheduled for December 10-12.
Which F1 races will have Sprints in 2027?
The 10 Sprint venues are Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy, São Paulo, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Monaco and Abu Dhabi will host their first F1 Sprints.
