This article provides a comprehensive guide to the Formula 1 Sprint weekend format for the 2025 season, outlining the schedule, format details, qualifying process, points system, and host circuits.
When and where are the Sprint weekends?
For the 2025 season, six of the 24 Formula 1 race weekends will feature the Sprint format. The selected venues are:
- March 21-23: Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai
- May 2-4: Miami Grand Prix, Miami
- July 25-27: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps
- October 17-19: United States Grand Prix, Austin
- November 7-9: Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Sao Paulo
- November 28-30: Qatar Grand Prix, Lusail
Spa-Francorchamps, which previously hosted a Sprint in 2023, replaces Austria as the third Sprint event of the year. The other five venues remain unchanged from the previous season.
What is Sprint?
Introduced in 2021 and expanded to six events from 2023, the Sprint format adds a short race on Saturday to selected weekends. Designed to enhance on-track excitement, particularly at circuits suitable for overtaking, it ensures competitive sessions across all three days. The format includes a dedicated Sprint Qualifying session on Friday and a 100km Sprint race on Saturday, awarding additional championship points.
The Sprint weekend schedule
The format remains identical to 2024:
- Friday: Free Practice One, Sprint Qualifying
- Saturday: Sprint Race, Grand Prix Qualifying
- Sunday: Grand Prix
What is the Sprint weekend format?
Sprint weekends begin with a single, hour-long free practice session on Friday. This is followed later on Friday by Sprint Qualifying.
Saturday features the 100km Sprint race to start the day, with the main Grand Prix Qualifying session taking place later on Saturday afternoon. This session determines the starting grid for Sunday`s Grand Prix.
How does Sprint Qualifying work?
The Friday session that sets the grid for the Sprint race utilizes a three-part knockout format similar to traditional qualifying, but with reduced session lengths designed to manage tire and engine usage:
- SQ1 lasts 12 minutes
- SQ2 lasts 10 minutes
- SQ3 lasts eight minutes
While the intention is often for teams to complete one flying lap per session, the timings do allow for two timed laps in SQ2 and SQ3 without needing a pit stop. A key difference from traditional qualifying is the tire usage restriction: a new set of medium tires is mandatory for SQ1 and SQ2, while a set of soft tires is mandatory for SQ3 (this set does not have to be new).
What is the point system for the Sprint?
The points awarded for the Sprint race in 2025 remain unchanged. Points are given to the top eight finishers as follows:
- 1st place – 8 points
- 2nd place – 7 points
- 3rd place – 6 points
- 4th place – 5 points
- 5th place – 4 points
- 6th place – 3 points
- 7th place – 2 points
- 8th place – 1 point
These additional points can significantly influence the championship standings, as demonstrated by Max Verstappen becoming the first driver to secure a world title during a Sprint race in Qatar in 2023.
Are there pit stops in the Sprint?
Pit stops are generally not required or expected during the short Sprint race unless a car sustains damage, gets a puncture, or the weather conditions change significantly. There is no mandatory tire change rule in the Sprint, and drivers are free to use any tire compound (hard, medium, or soft) they choose for the duration of the race.
How often can teams change their cars between sessions?
Under the current Sprint format, teams have an additional opportunity to modify car setups. Cars enter parc fermé at the start of Sprint Qualifying on Friday. However, restrictions are lifted after the Saturday Sprint race, allowing teams to adjust setups before the main Grand Prix Qualifying session later that day. Parc fermé rules then apply again from the start of Grand Prix Qualifying until the Sunday race.
