FIA in talks to DOUBLE sprint races on F1 calendar

The FIA are in talks to double the amount of sprint races on the F1 calendar, which could see nearly half of the events on the schedule follow the sprint format.

Currently the F1 calendar boasts six sprint races, which has been doubled from the original three races that debuted in 2021.

The 2026 schedule will see the sprint format in China, Miami, Canada, Silverstone, Zandvoort and Singapore, and circuit promoters are keen to be included within the select six events.

However, at the F1 Commission meeting in Bahrain on Wednesday February 18, commercial aspects of the sport were discussed with the FIA, which included the sprint races. It was reported that: "There were discussions around the possibility of increasing the sprint events up to 12 based on the demand for sprints from fans and promoters."

The current calendar boasts 24 races and, if the amount of races were to remain the same, this would mean that half of the events on the F1 calendar could eventually feature sprint races.

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Tyler Epp, the former president of the Miami GP and recently appointed head of commercial strategy at Cadillac, revealed the sprints have started to make a difference in regards to weekend attendance at the circuit.

Speaking to Autosport, he said in 2024: "I was wrong about the sprint race, I was very concerned about the value proposition there, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

"The feedback and the data we got showed that year over year our attendance was up on a Saturday, and they were there early for a sprint race."

Formula One Management and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali have been fierce advocates for increased sprint presence on the calendar, and their wishes could come true.

Last year, Domenicali confirmed F1's plan to host more sprint races when he spoke to the media at the Italian GP. The F1 boss said: "I have to say that aside from some older die-hard fans, everyone wants sprint weekends. Promoters push for this format and now the drivers are interested as well.

“The direction is clear: I can guarantee that in a few years there will be the demand to have all weekends with the same format. I’m not saying we’ll get to MotoGP, which has a sprint at every round – that’s too big a step. I see it more as a maturation process that respects a more traditionalist approach."

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