What is the format for F1 sprint races in 2025?

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the Miami Grand Prix sprint in May, but finished seventh in the shorter race after running wide at the first corner

There are six sprint races in the 2025 season and the format is the same as 2024.

Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday, after the only practice session of the weekend.

The 100km sprint is the first track action on Saturday.

Qualifying for the main race is in its usual spot as the second session on Saturday.

Sunday's race remains unchanged.

Lewis Hamilton secured his first Ferrari victory in the China sprint in March, while McLaren's Lando Norris won in Miami in May.

The next sprint takes place in Belgium, on 26 July, before three more towards the end of the season, at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar.

How does the F1 sprint race work?

Sprint qualifying has three sessions, where the five slowest cars are eliminated from the first two - like normal qualifying.

These sessions, known as SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3, last 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively.

This will make up the grid for the sprint race, which is 100km.

The top eight finishers score points, from eight for first place to one for eighth spot, which will get added to the overall drivers' championship standings.

What were the previous formats?

In 2023, both sprint sessions took place on Saturday, becoming a standalone event.

Sprint qualifying was the earlier session, followed by the sprint race.

Qualifying for Sunday's main race took place on Friday.

The original format for sprint weekends, introduced in 2021, had the Friday qualifying session setting the grid for the sprint and the result of the sprint establishing the grid for the main grand prix.

'Sprints are a nice way to spice things up'

Formula 1 introduced sprint races with the idea of providing audiences with more competitive action over the course of a three-day Grand Prix weekend.

F1 has numbers that it says prove that more people watch over a sprint weekend than a regular Grand Prix.

But, in the way of broadcasting statistics, it's not entirely clear whether this is more actual people, or just the same people watching more of the on-track action. Rather like claiming 500,000 people attended the British Grand Prix, but that being a cumulative figure over the weekend.

Sprints have been through a number of formats, a reflection of the fact that it was an experiment that F1 did not get quite right initially.

The fact that audiences seem to be bigger would suggest that sprints might become the de facto format at some point in the future. But it seems there is no desire for that within the sport.

The general view seems to be that sprints are a nice way to spice things up a few times a year but that the standard format is the right default.

When are the sprint races in 2025?

25-27 July: Belgium

17-19 October: United States (Austin)

7-9 November: Sao Paulo

28-30 November: Qatar

Why are there sprint races in F1?

Sprint races were introduced to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021 with races designed to be short and fast-paced.

It is less about the strategy to offer something different to the traditional Sunday race.

Why is there not one at every race? Well, not all circuits are suited to the sprint format.

Tracks with overtaking opportunities are often picked out.

Points towards drivers and constructors' championships are also on offer for the top eight.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri said he felt "a little bit weird" having the sprint race before preparing for the qualifying session on Saturday.

"It kind of feels like the race should be [at] the end of the day," he added.

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