The Formula 1 Commission has agreed to restructure the format for Sprint weekends for the second year in succession, the FIA confirmed on Monday.
For the first time since the system was introduced, Sprints were held in six locations in 2023: Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin and Sao Paulo.
Ahead of the first Sprint last year, the format was rearranged and found Friday populated by a single practice session followed by qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Saturday’s then consisted of the Sprint Shootout, a qualifying session to set the grid for the Sprint, which commenced later on during the Saturday of a GP weekend.
Now, the F1 Commission has changed things up again, bringing the Sprint qualifying session to Friday, where it will take place after the opening practice session.
Saturday action will then kick off with the Sprint race itself, followed by qualifying for the Grand Prix main event and as always, Sunday is when GPs will commence.
The commission’s proposal will be presented to the World Motorsport Council on February 28.
Sprints will be held at six venues once again in 2024, and F1 confirmed late last year that China, Miami, Austria, the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Brazil and Qatar will be the hosts of the alternate format – which has received scrutiny from drivers for issues such as reduced practice running and the Sprint informing everyone how the Grand Prix will play out.
The counter-argument is that Sprints improve the spectacle for fans attending live or watching via television and/or digital media.
Since their introduction in 2021, Sprints have undergone numerous tweaks as F1 tries to find the most successful method of operation for the format and experimentation has been welcomed by the likes of Carlos Sainz, who said last year that he “would be open to keep experimenting to see which format is best.”
Sainz’s encouragement for experimentation counters the point made by a number of F1 team bosses who are keen for the series to find a long-term Sprint solution.
“We need to make sure that we don’t change too often, too rapidly, because then we wouldn’t have this time to adapt, absorb to a certain way in which we intend a Formula 1 race weekend,” McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said at last year’s Abu Dhabi GP.
“When doing changes, think about the implications and not trying to fix something again two races later,” Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack added.
Per World Motorsport Council approval, F1 might have found it’s long-term Sprint format.
The F1 Commission, chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali also proposed revisions to the sporting regulations.
It was agreed that power unit allocations for each driver will increase from three per season to four for 2024 and 2025 and DRS activations have been handed a shortened window of operation.
The proposal for DRS will see the device activated one lap, as opposed to two, after the start of a race or a re-start following a Safety Car period.
Beyond Sprints, PU allocations and DRS, the commission discussed the 2026 regulations regarding sustainability and cost measures, along with making some “minor updates” to the 2024 Technical, Sporting and Financial regulations.
As is the case with the proposed Sprint restructuring, all changes approved by the F1 Commission will need to be ratified by the World Motorsport Council.
