Formula One Announces Las Vegas Grand Prix Expanded to Two Races With Night Sprint Added

Formula One Doubles Down on Las Vegas With New Night Sprint Race From 2027

Formula One is not done with Las Vegas. The sport announced Wednesday that starting with the 2027 season, the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend will expand to include two distinct ticketed race events: a standalone night sprint race held on Friday evening and the traditional Sunday Grand Prix. It is the most significant structural change to an individual race weekend since F1 introduced the Sprint format in 2021, and it places Las Vegas in a category of its own within the championship calendar.

The announcement was made jointly by Formula One management and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei at an event on the Las Vegas Strip Wednesday afternoon. Several drivers were present, including four-time world champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, both of whom expressed enthusiasm — though their comments about the sporting impact were carefully measured.

Why Formula One Is Making This Move Now

The financial logic is not subtle. The Las Vegas Grand Prix, held for the first time in November 2023 on a circuit that runs through the Strip and past major casino properties, generated an estimated $1.3 billion in economic impact for the city in its inaugural year. Race weekend ticket prices for premium packages reached $20,000. Hospitality suites were sold out months in advance. The 2024 and 2025 editions performed similarly.

By creating a second ticketed race event on Friday, Formula One effectively doubles the revenue-generating capacity of the weekend without adding infrastructure costs. The circuit is already in place. The broadcast deals are already structured. The marginal cost of adding a sprint event is minimal relative to the incremental revenue it generates.

According to sports business analyst Dr. Victor Matheson at College of the Holy Cross, Las Vegas is essentially a template for how Formula One wants to monetize its premium markets going forward. A Friday sprint adds a second premium gate, a second prime-time broadcast window, and a second wave of social media engagement. The economics are compelling.

Reaction From Drivers, Teams, and the Broader F1 Community

Not everyone is applauding. Several veteran F1 insiders and purists have criticized the sprint format since its introduction, arguing that it dilutes the significance of qualifying and reduces the Sunday Grand Prix to one of several events rather than the centerpiece of the weekend. Adding a Las Vegas-specific sprint compounds those concerns.

The Formula One Drivers Association has not yet issued a formal position on the announcement, though sources close to the organization indicated a statement would follow Thursday. Several drivers speaking informally at Wednesday's event expressed concern about the physical demands of a two-race weekend, particularly at night on a street circuit.

Las Vegas city officials were enthusiastically supportive. Mayor Carolyn Goodman said the expanded format would deepen Las Vegas's identity as a global sporting destination and predicted the Friday sprint alone would become one of the most-watched motorsport events in the world.

Whether the 2027 innovation becomes a model replicated in other high-revenue markets — Miami, Singapore, Monaco — or remains a Las Vegas-specific experiment will depend entirely on how fans, sponsors, and broadcast partners respond when the format goes live next November.