SPRINT

 

What’s the F1 Sprint?

The F1 Sprint is a short race. It covers 100km – about one-third of a typical Grand Prix distance – and should last about 30 minutes. This length has been chosen to encourage a race that is dynamic rather than strategic, with no mandatory pit stop.

While the bulk of the Formula 1 season consists of traditional Grand Prix weekends as we’ve covered above, six of them – a quarter of the 24 events in total – have been designated F1 Sprint events, which add another layer of excitement to proceedings.

A Sprint weekend is still a three-day affair with the Grand Prix as the main event, but the Sprint Qualifying session (which sets the grid for the Sprint) replaces FP2 on Friday afternoon. The Sprint itself takes place on Saturday (instead of FP3), before Qualifying for the Grand Prix happens as normal.

Six venues will host F1 Sprint events in 2025. The exciting roster sees 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. Belgium returns to the line-up for the first time since 2023, while Brazil continues its run of hosting a Sprint every year since the format began in 2021.