10 Sprint races? FIA agreement heralds new F1 era

The latest Concorde Agreement has been signed, and it could pave the way for an increase in the number of F1 sprint races per season, according to reports.

All 11 teams on the grid alongside the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) have signed the document which determines how the sport will be governed for the next five years.

The last document was signed in 2021, and amid the new Cadillac team entering the sport next year, as well as wholesale regulation changes, this year's agreement was vitally important.

And its signing has led to a belief that the FIA will begin to move towards, permanent, professional stewards at each race weekend.

At the moment, stewards change race on race, and a lot of the tracks are volunteer-led in terms of how the race weekend is shaped with marshals, stewards and other services.

But, according to reports, that could change, with a restructuring of teams' entry fees reportedly proposed as a way to fund the training and implementation of permanent stewards.

Now, Autosport have also reported that sources have claimed 'a more favourable revenue share' could see F1 increase the number of sprint race weekends to help the FIA cover their contribution of the logsitics for these changes.

Since their implementation in 2021, sprint weekends have had a net positive impact on race promoters and the commercial side of the business and though FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had been against expanding the number of sprint races in the past, it has now been reported that FOM are in favour of having at least 10 in the near future.

With a focus on increasing the sport's commercial pull across the globe, FOM hope to increase the number of sprints up to double digits maybe even as soon as the 2027 season, according to the above report.

How many F1 sprint weekends are there in 2026?

There will be six sprint weekends once again in 2026, but three of the tracks hosting them next year have never previously held a sprint race.

China and Miami will be sprint weekends as they have been for the last few years, while Silverstone is holding its first sprint race since the 2021 season.

On top of this, Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore are all holding sprint races for the first time, with usual candidates Qatar and Brazil reverting back to standard race weekends in 2026.

There seems to be a conscious effort to get the sprint events done and dusted a little earlier in the season in 2026, with October hosting the final one in the schedule.

That is in stark comparison to 2025, when three of the six sprint weekends were held during the last six races of the year.

What is the Concorde Agreement?

The Concorde Agreement is a document that is agreed upon and signed by the FIA, F1 teams and FOM that sets out the next five years in the series and how it will be run by the sport's bosses.

It also dictates how commercial interests will be shared, and how it's TV revenues and prize money for each position in the constructors' championship are shared between the teams too.

The first ever Concorde Agreement was signed in 1981, and since then, eight more have followed.

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