F1 Sprint: How the new 2023 format will work after Sprint Shootout is added to the schedule
The Formula 1 sprint weekends have a new format for 2023 after changes were approved earlier this year.
Ahead of the return of the new format at the Belgian GP, Sky Sports F1 explains what has changed.
How are the Sprint Weekends going so far?
F1’s Sprint debuted in 2021 and saw the usual weekend format change to introduce a second, shortened race to provide more wheel-to-wheel action, in a bid to ensure that every day of the Grand Prix weekend involves significant action.
Qualifying was moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday evening, with the one-hour session providing the starting grid for the sprint.
The result of the Sprint would then determine Sunday’s starting order: the driver who won the Sprint would start the Grand Prix on pole, if someone crashed or stopped with car trouble, he would start from the back.
The top eight positions in the Sprint scored points.
The first practice would take place on Friday afternoon before qualifying, while the second practice would take place on Saturday morning before the sprint.
What has changed for 2023?
The most important change is that the result of Saturday’s shorter race no longer determines the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. That will now be decided during Friday’s qualifying session.
Whoever is fastest on Friday evening will now start from pole on Sunday.
A new, separate, shorter qualifying session – the Sprint Shootout – will now take place on Saturday morning, with the second practice session removed from the weekend programme.
The Sprint, along with its own qualifying Shootout, is now essentially a separate entity from the Grand Prix.
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With the new changes to the F1 sprint weekends, Craig Slater explains why the sprint is crucial in determining a drivers championship.
Why has there been a change?
In short, trying to improve the entertainment and spectacle of the Sprint Weekend.
With the Sprint no longer setting the Grand Prix grid, the hope is that this will encourage drivers to attack more and take more risks during the 100km event, as an incident would not put them in danger on Sunday.
It also gives more meaning to Saturday morning. Under the old format, Saturday’s second practice session was effectively made redundant due to F1’s parc ferme rules. Once the cars leave the garage during qualifying on Friday, teams will no longer be able to make any changes to their setups.
“The Saturday morning session was incredibly boring,” Haas boss Guenther Steiner told the newspaper Sky Sports F1 podcast. “It was boring for me, for the fans it was even more boring, so doing a qualifying session instead is good.”
The reduction to just one 60-minute practice session ahead of qualifying on Friday could also add more danger to the weekend as teams have less time to understand tire behavior and setup.
How does the Sprint Shootout work?
The Sprint Shootout will follow the same three-session knockout format as usual qualifying, but each Q1, Q2 and Q3 segment has been shortened to address the teams’ engine and tire issues.
SQ1 has been shortened from 18 minutes to 12 minutes.
SQ2 has been shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.
SQ3 has been shortened from 12 minutes to eight minutes.
The aim is that each car would only complete one flying lap in each session, although SQ1 could allow two runs, while SQ2 and SQ3 would allow for two timed laps without a pit stop between attempts.
The other major difference between the Sprint Shootout and regular qualifying is the restrictions on tire use.
While teams are free to use all their available tires in regular qualifying, in the Sprint Shootout new sets of medium tires are mandatory in SQ1 and SQ2. In SQ3, drivers must use soft tires, but these do not have to be a new set.
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Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in the first part of the Sprint Shootout, the last time it was held in Austria
How are grid penalties applied?
Along with the announcement of the new format, clarification was also given on how grid penalties will be applied during sprint weekends.
Infractions during Friday’s practice session or qualifying will be applied to the race, while penalties incurred during the Sprint Shootout will be applied to the Sprint.
A grid penalty resulting from an incident during the Sprint will be applied to Sunday’s race, while any violation of the Parc Ferme will result in a pit lane start for both the Sprint and the Race.
Any grid penalties caused by exceeding the limits of the power unit will only apply to the race, unless their installation also constitutes a parc ferme violation.
What is the points system for the Sprint?
Points for the 2023 Sprint remain unchanged compared to 2022.
A total of 36 points are available to the top eight finishers of Saturday’s race. The winner collects eight points, second place scores seven points and this drops further to eighth place (one point).
The increase in the number of sprint weekends for 2023 means that the points collected on Saturday could have an even greater influence on the destination of this year’s world championships.
Are there pit stops in the Sprint?
Pit stops are rare, considering how short a sprint is.
Unlike the Grand Prix, there is no mandatory tire change required and, unless cars suffer damage or a puncture or it rains, you don’t expect them to leave the on-track action for the pit lane between the lights out and the checkered flag .
Drivers are free to drive on whatever tire compound – hard, medium or soft – they wish.
Where will the Sprint Weekends take place in 2023?
For 2023, F1 has doubled the number of Sprints from three – as held in 2021 and 2022 – to six.
The Azerbaijan GP hosted the first sprint weekend on April 29, which was also the first time that the shorter race was held on a street circuit.
F1 sprint dates in 2023
| April 29 | GP of Azerbaijan |
| July 1st | GP of Austria |
| July 29 | Belgian GP |
| October 7 | GP of Qatar |
| 21st of October | American general practitioner |
| the 4th of November | GP of São Paulo |
Austria’s Red Bull Ring hosted the format for a second year on July 1 and it will be on display again at the Belgian GP on July 29 in the final round before F1’s summer break.
Qatar will host the fourth sprint of the year on October 7, before the US GP’s Circuit of the Americas hosts its first sprint weekend on October 21.
And Brazil’s Interlagos will continue its record as the only circuit to host the format since its inception on November 4.
Who won the previous Sprints?
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Highlights of the sprint of the Austrian GP.
During the eight previous sprints in 2021, 2022 and 2023, four different drivers have achieved victory.
Max Verstappen’s victory in the final sprint in Austria was his fourth in the format, having also won at Silverstone in 2021 and at Imola and Austria in 2022.
Sergio Perez won the GP Sprint of Azerbaijan in April.
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Highlights of the Azerbaijan GP sprint.
Valtteri Bottas won the sprint at Monza and Interlagos in 2021 with Mercedes.
And George Russell claimed his first F1 victory in the sprint at Interlagos last year before also claiming Grand Prix victory on Sunday.
Next up is the Belgian GP, the last race before F1’s summer break. Watch all the sprint weekend sessions live on Sky Sports F1 from July 28-30. Stream the Belgian GP and more with NOW for £21 per month.