What is a sprint race and why are they coming to F1?
A sprint race is essentially a shortened version of a normal race, taking place over a shorter distance. They’re used in many other series, though perhaps most notably for Formula 1 is their inclusion in the Formula 2 race weekend. In F2 the sprint race is 120km and the feature race covers 170km, though are usually no less exciting.
The reason they're coming to Formula 1 is to ramp up the excitement of the whole race weekend. With fans now having a highlight on each of the three days (with either qualifying or a race), it should make for an overall better experience. F1 has long been looking to make changes to the traditional race weekend format and while other options like reverse grid races were considered, they were ultimately unfancied compared to sprint races.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
How does F1’s sprint qualifying work?
Sprint qualifying races will be run over 100km (down from the usual 305km), and will take around 25-30 minutes. The starting order for the sprint race will be decided by a traditional qualifying session on the Friday, while the results of the sprint race will determine the starting order for Sunday’s race.
Read Also:
- Masi ready to amend F1 sprint race rules if necessary
What is the sprint race weekend format?
Weekends with sprint races will have different timetables to normal race weekends. Friday changes mean that the new-for-2021 format of two one-hour free practice sessions – reduced from two 90-minute session used last year – will swap to just a single one-hour practice session followed by the ‘traditional’ three-part qualifying knockout format.
On Saturday the familiar one-hour final practice session remains in place in the morning, but qualifying is replaced by a sprint race. Sunday remains the same though, with just the F1 grand prix in the afternoon (or evening if it is a night race).
The sprint races themselves will be run over 100km, with the full-length races staying at 305km or 260km for Monaco. There will be no mandatory pitstops, though drivers will be able to enter the pits should they want to.
The sprint race weekend format will be:
- Friday morning – 60-minute Free Practice 1
- Friday afternoon – Q1, Q2, Q3 sessions to order the starting grid for the sprint race qualifying
- Saturday morning – 60-minute Free Practice 2
- Saturday afternoon – 100km sprint race qualifying
- Sunday – Full grand prix race
The timetable for the British Grand Prix, the first GP to hold a sprint race, puts both the free practice sessions in the afternoon, though it’s unclear whether this is just for this race or if it will be used at others.
- Friday
- FP1: 2:30pm - 3:30pm
- Qualifying: 6pm - 7pm
- Saturday
- FP2: 12pm - 1pm
- Sprint qualifying: 4:30pm - 5pm
- Sunday
- Race: 3pm
Rules around tyres are also changing. In Friday’s first practice each driver can only use two sets of tyres, while the Friday qualifying session will provide drivers with five soft tyres sets. After that teams will use these options for tyres for the remainder of the weekend:
- One set of tyres for Saturday’s practice session - teams decide which compound
- One set for the sprint race - teams decide which compound
- Two remaining sets of tyres for the grand prix, with teams able to choose which compound to start on
Three sets of wet tyres and four sets of intermediate tyres will be available at the start of the event. If FP1 or qualifying is wet, teams will receive an additional set of intermediates but must return a used intermediate set prior to the sprint race. If the sprint qualifying is wet, teams may return one set of used wet or intermediates after – which will then be replaced with a new set of intermediates. There will be a maximum of nine sets of wets and intermediates in total.
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR21, on the grid
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
How many sprint races will happen?
Currently there are three sprint races planned for the 2021 season, the first of which is scheduled to take place during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Saturday 17 July, 2021. While the second and third sprint race venues haven’t been announced yet, the understanding is that there will be two sprint races in Europe and one at a flyaway event. With Silverstone confirmed as one of the European races, it’s thought that the Italian Grand Prix weekend in September will host the other European sprint race. The third sprint race has been rumoured to be the Brazilian Grand Prix in November.
Will drivers and teams score points for the sprint races?
Points will be awarded for the sprint race, but only to the top three finishers. First place scores three points, second place scores two points, and third place scores one point. Unlike the full-length race on Sunday there will be no podiums for sprint races, however the winner will receive a trophy in parc ferme (similar to how the polesitter gets a miniature Pirelli tyre for qualifying first).
What will happen if a driver doesn’t finish a sprint race?
While there are no clear answers to this until the FIA publishes the full sporting regulations on the sprint race qualifying, one assumption would be that a driver who doesn’t finish the sprint race would have to start the grand prix in the position they would be ordered in for the final classification of the sprint race. For example, if a driver fails to finish the race and they were the first one to retire or did not start the sprint race, they would start Sunday’s grand prix from the back of the grid (much in the same way that a driver who crashes out of qualifying would start from the back of the grid).
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, makes a pit stop
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
What happens if a car gets damaged?
To offset the cost of sprint races a package worth around $500,000 for the three events has been agreed with teams. In addition to this payment there’s also a compensation scheme for teams who suffer damage during sprint race qualifying, which should ensure that a driver who damages their car on Saturday should still be able to continue on Sunday (much as they would if they crashed out of qualifying on a normal race weekend). Outside of the monetary aspect, if a car suffers damage during a sprint race then teams will have to replace the broken parts with like-for-like parts. This is because the cars enter parc ferme conditions – the point at which major changes can no longer be made – when they enter qualifying on Friday.
Will sprint races be used in the future in F1?
It’s unclear whether sprint races will be continued beyond the three planned for the 2021 season. If the races are a success then they may well be continued into the 2022 season and beyond, though F1 does not intend to run them at every race. However there’s a chance that, if drivers, teams or fans don’t enjoy the new format, sprint races could be dropped. During the 2016 F1 season, for example, the controversial “elimination qualifying” format – in which every 90 seconds of qualifying the slowest car was eliminated – was dropped after two rounds following a backlash from drivers, teams and fans.
What have drivers said about sprint races?
Reaction to the sprint races has been largely positive, with drivers and teams excited about the new format.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said he likes “that they are being open-minded and making changes”, and that he hopes the series will “learn lots on how we can deploy better races moving forwards.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is very familiar with sprint races, having taken part in them during his time in Formula 2. In the 2017 Bahrain F2 round, Leclerc opted to pit during the sprint race – pitting being optional and a little-used tactic in sprint races – coming out of the pits in 14th place with eight laps to go. Over the remaining laps he charged to the front of the field, taking the win and creating one of the most exciting sprint races in the process.
He said that he’s “quite happy that we are trying this and it’s good that we have three grands prix where we will try this”, while rookie Mick Schumacher, who only made the jump from F2 to F1 this year, knows the extra difficulty it will bring. “I think it’s going to be very tough for the teams, especially if there are any reliability issues or even some accidents or something, so that’s going to be very tough”.
comments
FAQs
F1's sprint qualifying: How does it work and when is it happening? ›
The sprint shootout follows the same elimination format as grand prix qualifying but has shorter sessions: 12min for the first where all 20 drivers set a time and the five slowest are eliminated; 10min for the second where another five are eliminated; and then 8min for the final sprint qualifying 3 (SQ3 session).
What is the format for the F1 sprint? ›The points system for F1 Sprint races in 2023 will stay the same way it was in 2022. That means that eight points are handed out to the winner, seven to second place, six to third and so on down to one for the driver who finished in P8 during the condensed race.
What time does the F1 sprint race start? ›| Session | GMT | BST |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | 13:00 | 14:00 |
| Sprint Q | 08:30 | 09:30 |
| Sprint | 13:30 | 14:30 |
| Race | 11:00 | 12:00 |
Formula One has announced the six sprint venues for 2023 with Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Austin race in the United States and Qatar all joining Austria and Brazil.
What's the difference between F1 sprint and race? ›With that, fans were made to understand that there would be three more races added to the 2022 schedule. In principle, an F1 Sprint is a shorter race - approximately 100km or 62 miles - which of course puts drivers into situations that would normally take much more time to unfold.
How does the F1 qualifying work? ›The drivers are issued a new set of soft tyres and have twelve minutes to set a qualifying time, which will determine the top ten positions on the grid. The driver who sets the fastest qualifying time is said to be on pole position, the grid position that offers the best physical position from which to start the race.
How does the new F1 sprint work? ›Points for the Sprint in 2023 remain unchanged from 2022. A total of 36 points are on offer for the top eight finishers in Saturday's race. The winner will collect eight points, second place will score seven points and this continues descending down to eighth (one point).
Is the F1 sprint race televised? ›All of the weekend action from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will air on television on ESPN and its family of stations. Friday's practice session will air on television on ESPN2 with qualifying being shown on ESPNU. Baku's sprint shootout will air on ESPN2 on Saturday while the sprint race will be shown on ESPN.
How many laps is F1 sprint race? ›That format has been polished up for the six events which will run under a sprint schedule in 2023. The sprint is a shortened version of the grand prix, 100km of the circuit -- in Baku that will equate to 17 laps.
What are the six sprint races in F1? ›The confirmed locations for F1 Sprint events in 2023 are:
FORMULA 1 QATAR GRAND PRIX 2023 (Lusail International Circuit) 06 – 08 October. FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2023 (Circuit of the Americas) 20–22 October. FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2023 (AutÓdromo José Carlos Pace) 3–5 November.
How many F1 sprints are there? ›
F1 2023 sprint race calendar: Circuits, countries and who has won the most short-form races. Formula 1 has announced there will be six sprint races on the 2023 calendar, which is double the number that took place during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Why is there qualifying and sprint shootout? ›The sprint race was introduced to spice up certain races, offering venues the chance to effectively have three days of competitive running (Qualifying on Friday, a sprint race on Saturday, race on Sunday) rather than an entire Friday dedicated to practice sessions.
What's the difference between qualifying and sprint qualifying in F1? ›The sprint shootout follows the same elimination format as grand prix qualifying but has shorter sessions: 12min for the first where all 20 drivers set a time and the five slowest are eliminated; 10min for the second where another five are eliminated; and then 8min for the final sprint qualifying 3 (SQ3 session).
What time is F1 sprint race Saturday? ›The sprint race for the Azerbaijan GP starts at 5.30pm local time (2.30pm BST), covering a distance of 17 laps or 60 minutes.
How does sprint qualifying work in 2023? ›Does F1 Sprint still decide qualifying? Unlike previous years, the Sprint result will have no bearing on the starting grid for the Grand Prix. In 2023, Fridays of Sprint weekends will see a single practice session take place before qualifying gets underway, which will set the starting grid for Sunday.
Can you use DRS in qualifying? ›In practice and qualifying, DRS can be used at will, but only within the set activation zones. Until 2013, drivers could use DRS at any point on track to reduce drag on a qualifying run.
What does P mean in F1? ›Pole position
The furthest-forward starting berth on the grid allocated to the driver who has set the fastest qualifying lap in Q3 on the Saturday. See also: Qualifying; Grid.
Formula 1 engines are designed to last for plenty of races but since racers are allowed three changes per year, teams have to devise their strategies accordingly. That means, since there are 23 races on the calendar, a single engine can be used for 7 to 8 races weekends.
How does F1 qualifying work 2023? ›How does an F1 Qualification take place? Qualifying happens in three consecutive sessions. Q1, Q2, and Q3 are elimination rounds to filter out the top ten quickest cars for the final session, Q3. Five of the slowest cars get eliminated in Q1 and Q2, respectively.
Who won the Formula 1 sprint race today? ›Perez beats Leclerc and Verstappen to victory in action-packed Baku Sprint.
Are pit stops mandatory in F1? ›
At least one pit stop in every race is compulsory. Drivers must use at least two tire compounds during an F1 race. Teams have five types of tires available: softs, mediums, hards, intermediates and wets. The two-tire rule is only altered when it comes to a wet race.
What channel is the F1 sprint race on in the US? ›Which channel shows F1 on TV in the USA? All Formula 1 races will be shown live on U.S. TV by either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC this year, as well as being streamed live or on-demand via its digital platform.
How can I watch F1 sprint USA? ›In the USA, ESPN and ESPN2 have the rights to commercial-free, live F1 races until 2025. Don't have cable? It's actually cheaper to watch ESPN and ABC on streaming services such as Sling or FuboTV... Catch the majority of the 2023 F1 season with Sling Orange, which provides streaming access to ESPN and ABC.
How does the sprint race work? ›It is designed to provide a short and fast-paced racing spectacle – similar to a Twenty20 cricket match – with drivers racing flat-out from start to finish without the need to pit. Points will be awarded to the top three finishers, three for the winner down to one point for third.
How long will the F1 sprint take? ›F1 sprint format
The sprint is 100KM and takes about half an hour. It is flat out without any (mandatory) pitstops. It takes place on Saturday afternoon. The grid for the sprint is determined by a dedicated sprint shootout qualifying session.
No, Formula 1 tracks are not all the same length. The length of a Formula 1 track can vary greatly, with the shortest track being the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, which is 3.337 km (2.075 mi) long, and the longest track being the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium which is 7.004 km (4.352 mi) long.
Will there be more sprint races F1? ›Formula 1 has announced there will be six sprint races on the 2023 calendar, which is double the number that took place during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Is there a sprint race at Monaco? ›Highlights from Saturday's hotly contested FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race on the Circuit de Monaco.
Are F1 sprints new? ›F1 Sprint made its debut back in 2021, with the original format seeing qualifying shifted to Friday and setting the grid for a new 100-kilometre dash on Saturday, which in turn determined the starting order for the main event on Sunday.
How many sprint races are there in F1 this year? ›Formula 1 has announced the locations for its six sprint races in 2023 as Baku and Spa join the expanded roster for next year.
How many sprints has Max Verstappen won? ›
...
| Max Verstappen | |
|---|---|
| Entries | 168 (168 starts) |
| Championships | 2 (2021, 2022) |
| Wins | 38 |
| Podiums | 82 |
The F1 Sprint Shootout will act as a standalone qualifying session for the sprint race and will take prior to said event on the Saturday of the designated race weekend. Interestingly, drivers have to use certain tyres in certain sessions during the Sprint Shootout.
What is the difference between sprint and sprint shootout? ›The sprint shootout is the event that forms the grid for the sprint race. In simpler words, the grid setter for the sprint race, similar to race qualifying, usually takes place on Saturday.
What is a sprint contest? ›The North American Sprints (usually just called “Sprints”) are short, intense competitions which challenge the best operators, while allowing others to sharpen their skills. Lasting only four hours and using only the 80, 40 and 20-meter bands, these contests demand that participants be on their toes at all times.
How is the grid of sprint race determined? ›Last year, qualifying determined the grid for F1 Sprint – and the result of that dash created the grid for Sunday's showpiece Grand Prix. For 2023, there will be two qualifying sessions. The first will still take place on Friday, but that session will determine the grid for Sunday.
How many sprint weekends are there? ›The new format, which was voted through by the F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council on Tuesday, will be used at the six Sprint weekends taking place this season, the first of which is this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Where will the F1 be in 2023? ›F1 embarks on a 23-race schedule in 2023, beginning Sunday, March 5, in Sakhir, Bahrain and concluding Nov. 26 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Has there ever been an F1 race on a Saturday? ›But most of the non-Sunday races – 58 of them to be precise – have been on Saturdays. This includes the very first world championship race at Silverstone in 1950. The British Grand Prix was held on a Saturday up until '77, and then again in '79, '81 and, most recently, '83.
What time is the F1 sprint race in Baku? ›The race weekend at the Baku City Circuit is scheduled for Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30. The Sprint Shootout will start at 9:30pm on Saturday before the Sprint Race will take place at 2:30pm later that afternoon.
How long is an F1 race? ›Grand Prix races usually last approximately 90 minutes and must not exceed two hours in length, but the time can vary given the average speed per lap differs across the 23 venues on the season's calendar. If two hours is reached and the race has failed to complete, it will be ended at the end of the next full lap.
What time is qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix? ›
Pre-race coverage will start at 10:30am BST on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, ahead of the race start at 12:00pm BST.
What is sprint test for in F1? ›A short, sharp dash to the finish with points on the line, the F1 Sprint was introduced in 2021 to add more unpredictability to race weekends and provide fans with more opportunities to see wheel-to-wheel racing.
How many races are included in sprint fast races? ›The F1 confirmed the calendar will be made up of 23 races and 6 of those will have the sprint race format which was introduced in 2021. This is double the amount of sprint races we saw in 2022, which were at the Emilia Romagna, Austrian, and Brazilian Grand Prix.
What's the difference between qualifying and sprint qualifying in f1? ›The sprint shootout follows the same elimination format as grand prix qualifying but has shorter sessions: 12min for the first where all 20 drivers set a time and the five slowest are eliminated; 10min for the second where another five are eliminated; and then 8min for the final sprint qualifying 3 (SQ3 session).
What is the reason for f1 sprint race? ›Formula One introduced sprint races in 2021 in a bid to pack more spectacle in racing weekends with a format that would have drivers go flat-out. After running three sprint weekends in 2021 and 2022, it's doubled the number to six for 2023.
What is the point in a sprint race? ›Points. This hasn't changed. In the sprint, points are given to the top eight in descending order, 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. That is a big difference to the grand prix, where points are given to the top ten, 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1, with a bonus point for anyone in the top ten who secures the fastest lap of the race.
What are the six sprint races F1? ›The confirmed locations for F1 Sprint events in 2023 are:
FORMULA 1 QATAR GRAND PRIX 2023 (Lusail International Circuit) 06 – 08 October. FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2023 (Circuit of the Americas) 20–22 October. FORMULA 1 GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2023 (AutÓdromo José Carlos Pace) 3–5 November.
Last year, qualifying determined the grid for F1 Sprint – and the result of that dash created the grid for Sunday's showpiece Grand Prix. For 2023, there will be two qualifying sessions. The first will still take place on Friday, but that session will determine the grid for Sunday.
How long can a human maintain top speed? ›If you try to sprint at 100% effort and reach your “top-end” speed, then you're at maximal velocity. Speed-endurance is how long you can hold your maximal velocity before slowing down. Most runners can only maintain their top-end speed for about 40 meters (this is normal!).