The F1 2024 season will feature six sprint races across six different venues. F1 seems to have big plans for this format in the future and are trying to test the audience’s interest. In 2021 and 2022, F1 had three sprint race weekends. They increased the same to six last year after they received positive feedback from the fans. While the fans seem to enjoy F1 sprint races, some drivers do not. Hence, F1 is not only adding different venues for the sprints but are also changing some of the rules to increase overall excitement among both fans and drivers.
In 2024, the six venues that will host sprint races are China, Miami, Austria, the United States, Brazil, and Qatar. Both China and Miami will host the sprint format for the first time this year. The United States and Qatar will host this format for a second year running. Meanwhile, Austria will host a third sprint race, while Brazil will host a fourth.
What is a sprint race?
Sprint races were introduced back in 2021, as an addition to the normal Grand Prix weekend. It was added to increase the excitement, and the prospect of having an extra race in one weekend seemed very appealing. Initially, a sprint race set the grid order for the main Grand Prix, following what was a normal qualifying session. However, that changed soon after.
Now, after several alterations, F1 decided to keep Sprint and Grand Prix races different. A Sprint qualifying and normal qualifying session decides the order for each outing. This, however, is surely not the final model. With not every team and driver convinced, F1 could choose to change this in the future too.
When and where the sprint races will take place in 2024?
| Sr No | Grand Prix | Venue | Dates |
| 1 | China | Shanghai | April 19-21 |
| 2 | Miami | Miami | May 3-5 |
| 3 | Austria | Spielberg | June 28-30 |
| 4 | United States | Austin | October 18-20 |
| 5 | Brazil | Sao Paulo | November 1-3 |
| 6 | Qatar | Lusail | November 29 – December 1 |
What time do the new sprint races start?
The dates for the new sprint races have been decided. The venues too are confirmed but the time is still to be confirmed. As the season progresses, the times for all sessions in these Grand Prix weekends will be confirmed.
For now, we just know that on Fridays, there will be a sprint shootout, and the sprint race will take place on Saturday itself.
What is the new sprint format?
The primary reason why F1 introduced the sprint format in 2021 was to add an additional element of excitement for the fans for the weekend. Since most supporters found the multiple free practice sessions boring, the sprint races are likely to produce more action.
However, F1 has made some changes to the format this season to make the weekends more streamlined. Previously, Fridays for a sprint race weekend featured a free practice session followed by the traditional qualifying format.
Now, instead of the traditional qualifying format, Fridays will feature a sprint shootout. This qualifying will decide the grid for the sprint race on Saturday. Once the sprint race finishes, the traditional qualifying will take place later that day to decide the grid for the main race. Meanwhile, the main race will continue to take place on the Sunday of the weekend.
Such changes to the format will help F1 to have two different parc fermes. Since teams are not allowed to change the set-up of the car once they are in parc ferme, no changes were initially permitted once the sprint shootout was over. Hence, teams often struggled when they went from the sprint race to the main Grand Prix.
Will sprint races have a reverse grid format?
In the past few months, F1 has had various discussions about the sprint race format. The discussions are yet not over and all kinds of proposals have been made. One such proposal is the idea of a reverse grid format.
The lower categories of Formula Racing have featured this format for some time now. However, implementing such a format for the sprint races will have its own problems. It is virtually impossible to reverse the entire grid for the sprint race, as there would be no incentive for a driver to perform well during the sprint shootout.
Hence, discussions are being held about how F1 can partially reverse the grid for the sprint race. Moreover, there are also talks about how some drivers can also be awarded points during the sprint shootout to encourage them to put in their best performances.
What drivers said about the changed format last year?
The F1 drivers have always given mixed reactions about the sprint format, and a similar pattern followed despite the recent changes. Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen continued to be critical of the changed format.
As quoted by PlanetF1, the Dutchman said, “I don’t really see it being a lot different than what it was in the previous sprint weekend. I think there will be a little bit more chaos around because of the extra qualifying”.
In stark contrast, Lewis Hamilton was all in favor of the revised format. He said that he “absolutely” welcomes it, and is looking forward to maximizing the sprint race weekends that will continue to have just one free practice session. Meanwhile, Lando Norris was one of those drivers who gave a balanced view.
The McLaren racer said that while the revised format is better, he definitely does not want to have a sprint race weekend every week. The young Briton stated that for the most part, he continues to prefer the traditional format that features qualifying on Saturday with the main race on Sunday.
How many points will the winners get?
The F1 Sprint is not as rewarding as the main Grand Prix race. However, considering how close some battles in the championship have been in the last few years, it isn’t surprising that teams take it seriously.
The points are meagre compared to what the top 10 finishers of the main race get. The full points distribution is as follows:
1st – 8 points
2nd – 7 points
3rd – 6 points
4th – 5 points
5th – 4 points
6th – 3 points
7th – 2 points
8th – 1 point
What is the point of a sprint race in F1?
When F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali first introduced the sprint race weekend format, he made it clear that the sport is bringing this change with the hope of adding more excitement for the fans. Since the 58-year-old has been a team principal of Ferrari previously, he knows a thing or two about how feasible it is to have this format.
While Domenicali acknowledged that sprint race weekends will be more challenging for teams, he claims that the same thing will also test the sides to the maximum and provide more excitement for the fans. As per the Italian, the way the current traditional F1 weekends are designed, they are too boring with the three free practice sessions.
Moreover, Domenicali caused quite a stir last year when he went to the extent of claiming that he was in favor of canceling the practice sessions altogether. He believes that the sessions “are of great benefit to the engineers, but which the public does not like”.
