How 2024 F1 sprint races work: qualifying shootout, points and schedule
F1 sprint races are back in 2024 with a new calendar and a refreshed format. Here's how sprint race weekends will work, including the points awarded, race length and the other changes in store
Max Verstappen won the last year's sprint in Austin
F1 sprint races are pocket-sized grands prix, being held at six race weekends this year, and aimed at producing faster, more frenetic on-track action without the need for pitstops and complex tyre strategies.
They consist of a separate Friday qualifying session, followed by a Saturday morning sprint that’s roughly a third of the length of the full race. The top eight drivers are awarded world championship points — the winner receiving eight, reducing to one point for the eight-placed driver.
The sprint race schedule has been tweaked for 2024, separating it more clearly from the the full grand prix. As before, drivers only have one practice session on Friday before the competitive action begins.
Last year, all of the sprint race action took place on Saturday, sandwiched by grand prix qualifying on Friday and the grand prix itself on Sunday. This year, the sprint events take place first, in what would be the free practice slots of a normal weekend. Then comes the GP timetable at a similar time to usual: with qualifying on the Saturday afternoon and the grand prix itself still being held on the Sunday.
This comes after feedback from drivers, teams and fans, who wanted sprint events to be separated further from the race weekend. However, the changes are more significant than simply reshuffling sessions. The tweaked format also comes new parc fermé rules, which prevent teams from making significant set-up changes after a cut-off point.
In 2023, parc fermé rules were applied from the start of sprint qualifying for the whole weekend, encouraging teams to opt for a conservative set-up rather than taking risks that could leave them at a disadvantage on Sunday. This year, parc fermé ends after the sprint race until the grand prix qualifying, enabling engineers to take a more aggressive approach in the sprint and altering it for the longer grand prix.
How F1 sprint races work:
• Separate qualifying sessions Drivers compete in a pair of qualifying sessions: one after practice on Friday for Saturday’s sprint race, and one on Saturday for Sunday’s grand prix.
Saturday’s sprint race grid is determined by the ‘sprint shootout’:
– All 20 drivers have only 12min to set a time in sprint qualifying 1 (SQ1)
– The five slowest drivers drop out before a 10min SQ2.
– Only the fastest ten go through to an 8min SQ3.
The race then follows on Saturday morning.
Grand prix qualifying is unchanged:
– An 18min Q1 for all 20 drivers where the five slowest are eliminated.
– Followed by a 15min Q2 where another five drivers are dropped.
– Finally a 12min Q3 for the final ten drivers.
• Reduced practice There is only one hour-long practice session on a sprint weekend, limiting the amount of time to find the right set-up and simulate the different stages of the event. There are three hour-long practice sessions on a standard, non-sprint grand prix weekend.
• Championship points The winner gets eight, reducing down to the eighth place finisher who receives one point.
• Six sprint weekends — the same as in 2023, and doubling the three held per year in 2021 and 2022
Scroll down for more details or click to jump to a particular section:
• 2024 Sprint race calendar
• 2024 sprint race rules – including sprint race laps, length, points, tyre allocation and penalties
• How sprint changes have affected F1 racing
• What is a sprint race?
2024 F1 sprint race calendar — schedule, results and start times
F1 announced its sprint race calendar for the 2024 season in October last year, which includes six races and two new host venues.
Interlagos and the Red Bull Ring remain as headliners — both returning as the only two circuits to have hosted an F1 sprint race in every season since their inception in 2021. COTA and Losail return after positive reactions to their sprint race debuts in 2023, while Shanghai and Miami join the line-up for the first time in 2024.
According to F1, the updated calendar has been designed to feature circuits which provide the most overtaking opportunities and therefore provide more entertainment for the fans and more point-scoring chances for the drivers.
2024 F1 sprint race rules
How long are F1 sprint races?
Sprint races run to 100km (62 miles). Lap count varies depending on the circuit. For the Chinese GP, the sprint race is set for 19 laps, which is just over a third of the 56-lap grand prix distance. There is also a time limit: races must be completed within 60 minutes, so if safety cars and stoppages take the action beyond an hour, it will be ended early.
F1 sprint race points table
The top eight finishers in the sprint race are awarded points. The winner receives eight championship points, reducing by one point per place.
| Position | Points |
| 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 |
2024 F1 sprint race qualifying format
Sprint races now have a dedicated qualifying session, no longer have a role in setting the grid for the grand prix and are held on a Friday after FP1.
Otherwise known as the ‘sprint shootout’, this qualifying session uses reduced session lengths in order to encourage drivers to set their fastest lap times right out of the gate. Those who are slow to start, risk being knocked out and starting Saturday’s sprint race further down the grid.
Grand Prix qualifying retains the same format and is held on the Saturday after the sprint race has concluded.
Friday sprint shootout qualifying |
Saturday grand prix qualifying |
|||
| Session | Length | Drivers eliminated | Session | Length |
| SQ1 | 12min | 5 slowest | Q1 | 18min |
| SQ2 | 10min | 5 slowest | Q2 | 15min |
| SQ3 | 8min | n/a | Q3 | 10min |
Which F1 driver gets pole position on sprint race weekends?
The new sprint race weekend format has fallen in line with a regular grand prix weekend, with full-length qualifying still taking place on a Saturday. The fastest driver in this session, just like in every other grand prix weekend, will be on pole position for Sunday’s race.
This effectively eliminates any pole-sitter confusion, after an initial two years of awkwardness where qualifying only set the grid for the sprint race. Drivers then started the grand prix in their sprint finishing position.
For the first sprint races in 2021, pole position was officially awarded to the winner of the sprint race, which proved unpopular as it removed recognition of the all-or-nothing qualifying laps that showcase drivers’ bravery and commitment. That was changed in 2022, so that the fastest qualifier was recorded as pole-sitter. But — for that year only — if they didn’t win in the sprint, they wouldn’t start at the front of the grand prix.
When will penalties apply in sprint races?
Identical to other F1 race weekends, penalties incurred during FP1 or Saturday’s grand prix qualifying will applied to Sunday’s full-length grand prix.
However, penalties incurred during the ‘sprint shootout’ will be only be applied to the sprint race. Should a driver be handed a grid penalty during Saturday’s sprint race, that will then be applied to Sunday’s grand prix.
Power unit penalties will only apply to the grand prix.
Sprint race tyre allocation
Tyre restrictions are different during sprint weekends. Teams receive 12 sets, rather than the standard 13. When sprint shootout qualifying is dry, drivers must only use one set of tyres per stage: a fresh set of mediums in Q1; more unused mediums in Q2 and fresh soft tyres in Q3.
There is a free choice of tyres for both the sprint on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday.
Parc fermé rules
The new 2024 sprint weekend format comes with adapted parc ferme rules which will allow teams to change the set-up of their car for sprint race and grand prix events.
The weekend will now consist of two parc fermé deadlines: one will take effect ahead of sprint qualifying on Friday afternoon and will last throughout Saturday’s sprint. The other will then start ahead of Saturday afternoon’s grand prix qualifying session and last throughout Sunday’s grand prix.
How did 2023 sprint race changes affect F1 racing?
With relatively few points at stake in the sprint (the winner gets eight as opposed to 25 in the grand prix), and no impact on their starting place in the next day’s grand prix — unlike last year — the idea was that drivers would be encouraged to follow their natural instincts and fight more aggressively, knowing that a mistake will prove less costly and won’t affect the next day’s grand prix.
However the verdict is still out. The first sprint under the new rules was in Baku, which provided little excitement and a predictable result with victory for an in-form Sergio Perez. The same couldn’t be said for both Austrian and Belgian sprint races, but both benefitted from changeable weather conditions, while the trio of safety car periods in Qatar ensured that no-one could pull away too far. COTA and Sao Paulo provided a glimpse at what sprint race events can provide, but ultimately still delivered the same result.
But there is hope for the new format, which should give teams the opportunity to run at full pace during sprint sessions without it impacting on the grand prix itself, where the big point scoring opportunities are available.
Will sprints be a success in 2024?
Grand Prix Photo