Many American racing fans were disappointed this season when Formula 1 changed its calendar to move the Monaco Grand Prix a week after Memorial Day weekend Sunday. The shift ended a fifteen-year stretch for what had become known as “Motorsports Christmas,” with Monaco in the morning, the Indy 500 in the afternoon and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in the evening.
Instead, it scheduled the Canadian Grand Prix on the day in the afternoon. While it was initially set to start at 2 p.m ET, which would’ve overlapped it with the second half of the Indy 500, Formula 1 ended up moving the start time to 4 p.m. to try to fit it between the two races. It worked this year, as the Indy 500 didn’t have any major delays, but with only about 10 minutes to spare. It wasn’t the traditional Motorsports Christmas, but the unofficial holiday was saved.
That won’t be the case next year. The 24-race 2027 Formula 1 calendar is out and has the Canadian Grand Prix scheduled for May 23 and the Monaco Grand Prix for June 6, while Memorial Day weekend Sunday falls on May 30. However, while the triple-header isn’t happening, the Formula 1 week off opens up a potentially more entertaining possibility.
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The recent Formula 1 schedule has made it impossible for current drivers to compete in the Indy 500, as many did in the old days. Fernando Alonso skipped the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix to drive in it with much fanfare, then returned in 2019 and 2020 while he was on a sabbatical from the series. He qualified fifth in 2017, led some laps and was in the hunt near the end, until his engine failed on lap 179 of 200. He was named rookie of the year. Things didn’t go as well in 2019 when he failed to qualify a slow McLaren entry and things didn’t go much better in 2020 when his Arrow McLaren was off the pace and he finished a lap down.
He’s mentioned his desire to return, but has been committed to Formula 1 since his return to the series in 2021. Next year’s break gives him the opportunity to try it again, although he has not yet said if he plans to.
While some top drivers like Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have said they aren’t interested in competing in The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, another driver from the Formula 1 circuit would definitely like to be there next year. Cadillac Formula 1 Team test driver and Formula 2 competitor Colton Herta was planning to enter this year’s Indy 500, but after its races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled, due to the U.S.-Iran conflict, the series joined the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, so he couldn’t swing it. Herta competed in seven Indy 500’s during his IndyCar career with a best finish of ninth in 2023.
The 2027 Formula 1 schedule includes 10 sprint race weekends, including the first at Monaco, and a return to Portugal and Turkey, while Barcelona and The Netherlands drop off the schedule. The three U.S. races are set for May 2 in Miami, Oct. 24 in Austin and Nov. 20 in Las Vegas.
