In a bid to increase entertainment for viewers, Formula 1 carried out trials for a sprint race format on three race weekends in 2021, and after re-calibrating the points system and other small details, Formula 1 has finally arrived at a format which is unanimously agreed on by the teams & drivers. Taking it to the next level, Formula 1 announced earlier in the year that it will host six sprint races from 2023 season onwards instead of three, and it has finally announced the venues where these six sprint races will be held.
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George Russel is the latest winner of a sprint race, having won one at 2022 Brazilian GP.
Next year, the sprint races will be held in Azerbaijan (Baku City Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Losail Circuit), the United States (Circuit of The Americas) and Brazil (Interlagos). After delivering extraordinary races in 2021 & 2022, Interlagos is returning on the sprint calendar for the third year in a row, making it the only circuit to host a sprint race in all the three seasons. The Red Bull Ring is the only other returning circuit, having hosted a sprint race in the 2022 season post the regulation changes.
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The Red Bull Ring is the only other returning circuit on the sprint calendar.
As for the other circuits, it will be interesting to see how they deliver on the sprint races. Spa-Francorchamps and COTA can prove to be the sprint races where most of the position changes happen, as those tracks offer long straights with lots of room to pass. Spa though, being the longest circuit on the F1 calendar, will have the least number of laps (15) in the sprint race. On the other hand, Baku can also stir up some action too, with its narrow layout and “never ending” start-finish straight, which is also the longest ‘flat-out’ section on the Formula 1 calendar currently. As for the Losail Circuit, it would be hard to determine how the race would go. Formula 1 has visited the circuit - which is a routine appearance on the MotoGP calendar - only once before, and it comprises of fast & flowing corners, rather than hard braking zones where passes usually happen in Formula 1. But regardless of position changes, it can still deliver a good mix of wheel to wheel action.
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The sprint race winner will earn 8 points, but won't get awarded with the ‘pole position’ title, which goes to the winner of qualifying.
After 2 years of trial, Formula 1 finally has a sprint format that is agreed upon by everyone. While there is room for improvement still, this is how the format currently stands. On the sprint weekends, qualifying will be moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday afternoon, and will have just one practice session before it (FP1). FP2 will take place on Saturday morning followed by the sprint race on Saturday afternoon, and the main race on Sunday afternoon. The finishing result of qualifying will determine the grid for the sprint race, and the winner of the qualifying will also be awarded pole position. The grid for the main race will be set according to the finishing order of the sprint race. The top 8 finishers of the sprint race will also be awarded points, with first place getting 8 points, down to P8 getting 1 point. The sprint race goes on for about 1/3rd distance of the grand prix, or 100 km + 1 lap.
