THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO F1® SPRINT
Ahead of a thrilling Sprint weekend in Belgium,
refresh your knowledge on all things SPRINT!
If you're new to the F1 Sprint format, or just want a refresher, here's what you need to know ahead of the only F1 Sprint weekend during the European leg of the calendar...
What is the F1 Sprint?
The Sprint is a short race. It covers 100km – about one-third of a typical Grand Prix distance – and lasts about 30 minutes. This length has been chosen to encourage a race that is dynamic rather than strategic. Unlike a Grand Prix, there are no mandatory pit stops. Pit stops aren’t banned but the race is too short for tyre changes to be effective.
The venues chosen for Sprint events are all tracks picked to try and ensure the Sprint is a flat-out, aggressive melee from start to finish. Points are on offer, from eight down to one, awarded for the first eight cars to finish.
A Sprint weekend is different to the traditional Grand Prix weekend but it's still a three-day affair with the Grand Prix as the main event – only with even more excitement!
Simply put, the Sprint weekend delivers even more bang for your buck. Many spectators enjoy simply watching the cars during a practice session, but the Sprint format guarantees meaningful action every day.
How does the F1 Sprint work?
Over the three days, the F1 cars appear on track for five sessions, similar to the traditional race weekend. However, over the Sprint weekend, two of the practice sessions are deleted and replaced. A Sprint Qualifying session replaces the second practice session on Friday, and sets the grid for the Sprint. Saturday sees the Sprint itself replace FP3, before Qualifying for the Grand Prix happens as normal later that day.
With limited Free Practice running the pressure is on to get the set-up right first time, and with extra points available in a Sprint weekend it's even more intense.
What is F1 Sprint Qualifying?
The Sprint weekend format was tweaked in 2024, with Sprint Qualifying (previously called the Shootout) moving to Friday, ahead of the Sprint itself taking place on Saturday.
Split into three stages – SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3 – lasting 12 minutes, 10 minutes and just 8 minutes respectively, the session follows a similar format to Qualifying.
The five slowest drivers are eliminated after SQ1, before five more drop out from SQ2 – thereby setting the grid positions from 20th up to 11th in the Sprint.
The 10 remaining drivers head into SQ3 to determine the top 10 grid slots, with the fastest driver starting from the front of the pack in Saturday's Sprint race.
“The Sprint is a great example of bringing new elements to our sport in a way that is respectful of the Championship, and I want to thank the six venues that will host the Sprint in 2025 and look forward to those incredible events throughout the season.”
STEFANO DOMENICALI
President & CEO of Formula 1
Does the F1 Sprint influence the Grand Prix?
No… and yes. The Sprint is designed to be a standalone event. Sprint Qualifying on Friday forms the grid for the Sprint on Saturday, and the result of the Sprint has no bearing on the Grand Prix… except in some very specific circumstances.
The first is a grid penalty. A driver picking up a penalty in the Sprint that can’t be served immediately, will serve it at their next race – usually the Grand Prix the following day.
The second is crash damage. A team is allowed to repair crash damage without penalty if they use like-for-like parts – but if the team needs to change the chassis, then the driver will automatically lose their spot on the grid and have to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane.
The bigger influence on a Grand Prix comes not from the Sprint, but rather from the limited nature of practice, with only one Free Practice session on a Sprint weekend instead of the usual three.
How many F1 Sprint events are there?
Six circuits are hosting F1 Sprint weekends in 2025 – a year that marks the 75th anniversary of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the fifth season of the Sprint format.
The exciting 2025 F1 Sprint roster saw China and Miami on the Sprint line-up for a second consecutive year, joining Austin and Qatar which both return to host their third Sprint events later in the season.
This weekend, Belgium returns to the line-up for the first time since 2023, while Brazil will continue its run of hosting a Sprint every year since the format began in 2021.
