F1 Sprint races: How do they work and are there changes for 2025?

The Belgian Grand Prix this weekend sees the return of the F1 sprint race, with Spa being the only European circuit to host the event in 2025.

F1 has hosted two sprint races in 2025 so far, with Lewis Hamilton winning the first event of the season in Shanghai while Lando Norris was victorious in Miami.

The sprint format was first introduced at the 2021 British Grand Prix. In that season and the year that followed, there were three weekends that featured a shorter race on Saturdays.

Despite being greeted with mixed reactions, teams agreed to double this number in 2023 and beyond, with an altered format introduced for the 2024 season.

Since it's introduction, the sprint has become a popular feature on the F1 calendar, providing fans with competitive action every single day of a race weekend.

What changed with F1 sprint races for 2024

F1 tweaked the sprint format for the 2024 season with sprint qualifying, which decides the starting grid for the sprint race, moving to Friday following the free practice session.

The sprint race is then held on Saturday, followed by the traditional grand prix qualifying, which sets the stage for the main race on Sunday.

Although the sprint became its own confined event, points gained will still count towards the overall standings.

Are there any changes to the F1 sprint format in 2025?

There are no new changes to worry about for the format of a sprint weekend following the reshuffle in 2024.

As was the case last season, drivers will only have one free practice session to get to grips with the track before sprint qualifying later the same day. Saturday's sessions then open with the 100km sprint race, with regular qualifying following later in the day to decide the grid for the main event on Sunday.

When are the F1 sprint races in 2025?

The calendar and sprint schedule has changed for this year, with the Red Bull Ring in Austria no longer hosting a sprint weekend, replaced by a sprint in Spa in July.

Six F1 sprint races are scheduled for this season, with China seeing Hamilton storm to victory for the first time with Ferrari. At Miami in May, Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli claimed his first pole position while Lando Norris took the victory.

Here are the venues and timings of the remaining sprint races - all in local time.

Belgium - Spa-Francorchamps (Saturday, July 26 at 11am)
Austin - Circuit of The Americas (Saturday, October 18 at 6pm)
Brazil - Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) (Saturday, November 8 at 2pm)
Qatar - Lusail International Circuit (Saturday, November 29 at 2pm)

What points are on offer in F1 sprint races?

In 2021, F1 drivers received three points for winning the sprint, two for finishing second, and one for coming in third.

As this offered little to no incentive to put cars on the line for drivers in the midfield, this was altered in 2022 to the rewards system, which remains in place this year.

Keen to strike a balance that keeps Sunday’s grand prix as the main focus, a points system was agreed upon that sees the victor score eight, the second-place finisher seven, all the way down to eighth place, where one point is awarded.

There is no point handed out for setting the fastest lap in these shorter races, a rule which has now also been abolished for 2025 in the longer grands prix.

How long is an F1 sprint race?

The F1 sprint is a 100km race. This is significantly shorter than the 305km distance of a regular grand prix.

There are no mandatory pit stops required, meaning drivers will often select a tyre which can comfortably go the distance without too much managing.

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