Less training, more ‘real work’
It was already in the air and now it’s official: Formula 1 is coming with a different kind of sprint race weekend. The first Grand Prix with the new sprint race program will be held in Azerbaijan next weekend, five more will follow this season.
After an exceptionally long break during the season, it will finally be time for action in Formula 1 next weekend. Baku is the first sprint race weekend of the year and that will immediately be one according to a different program than we are used to. As a rumor came out in March, Formula 1 is running a different program.
The sprint race weekend now looks like this: on Friday there is first free practice and then qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix. That qualifying is just as you are used to from a normal race weekend, only it is already on Friday. But on Saturday there will be another qualification. That is a ‘Sprint Shootout’ with shorter qualifying sessions. Q1 lasts twelve minutes, Q2 ten minutes and Q3 eight minutes. That qualification determines the starting grid for the 100 km sprint race that takes place later on Saturday. The result of the sprint race will then have no consequences for the Grand Prix on Sunday, although you can, for example, incur a grid penalty in the sprint race that counts in the GP. Again there are points to be earned in the sprint race, just as many as last year. That means that the winner scores eight points, the runner-up seven points and so on until number eight.
In addition to Baku, there are five locations where a sprint race weekend is planned this season: Austria, Belgium, Qatar, United States (Austin) and Brazil. This new sprint race format is also in force on those race weekends. Below you can see the schedule for next weekend:
| Date | Session | Time (NL) |
| Friday Apr 28 | Free training | 11.30 – 12.30 |
| Friday Apr 28 | Qualification (for GP) | 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm |
| Saturday Apr 29 | Sprint Shootout | 10.30 – 11.14 |
| Saturday Apr 29 | Sprint race | 15.30 – 16.00 |
| Sunday Apr 30 | Grand Prix | 13.00 |
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl