Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard believes the addition of a sprint race could improve the entertainment of the new Madring circuit after it was announced that the 2027 Monaco Grand Prix weekend would host a sprint for the first time.
F1 recently confirmed the 2027 racing calendar, which includes 10 sprint races in Bahrain, Australia, Japan, Canada, Monaco, Great Britain, Italy, Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Coulthard discussed the changes to the calendar during an episode of the Up To Speed podcast.
“We were doing 100,000 kilometres in testing,” Coulthard recalled as he compared the modern calendar to his time in the championship.
“We tested every week. We had a test team. So testing when it’s just you and your team-mate, or maybe a couple of other cars, day after day after day… it was exhausting. It was mentally tiring and there was no reward at the end of it other than, let’s say, job satisfaction.”
Instead of endless private running, the former McLaren driver argued he would have preferred the modern, race-heavy schedule.
“A grand prix, you feel the achievement that the history books will show what you achieved as a team,” he added.
Monaco track detail
Photo by: Filip Cleeren
“So I would have enjoyed it. Monaco has been added as a sprint on a circuit where there’s very little overtaking. It will mean more entertainment. So that probably would have been a good thing in Madrid if we had a sprint there as well.”
The Spanish Grand Prix on 13 September was the first to be held at the new Madring circuit. While anticipation was high for the new event, which replaces the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit as host of the race under a 10-year contract, it faced a lot of criticism for a lack of overtaking opportunities.
McLaren’s Lando Norris secured pole position in Madrid and built a decent lead in the opening stint of the race but he lost it during an ill-timed virtual safety car period. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli claimed the lead and celebrated his eighth win of the season.
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