What time is the sprint race today? Sprint racing has been a new concept in Formula 1 since 2021, when the format was first introduced at the British Grand Prix. But what are F1 sprint races and how do they work?
What time is the sprint race today?
In the 2023 Formula 1 season, there are no less than six sprint races on the calendar. When and where these take place and what time they can be seen can be seen in the overview below.
| Race | Date | Time (CET) |
| GP Azerbaijan | April 29 2023 | 3:30 PM |
| GP Austria | July 1 2023 | 4:30 PM |
| GP Belgium | July 29 2023 | 4:30 PM |
| GP Qatar | October 7 2023 | 4:30 PM |
| GP United States | October 22 2023 | 00:00 AM |
| GP Brazil | November 4 2023 | 7:30 PM |
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £24 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.
F1 Sprint racing: A shorter Grand Prix
A sprint race is similar to a regular Grand Prix, only it is a lot shorter. In sprint races, the drivers have to race a distance of 100 km, whereas in a normal race it is at least 305 km. So in terms of time, a sprint race is also a lot shorter, lasting about 25 minutes to half an hour.
F1 Sprint race shootout
The sprint race format has changed in 2023 compared to sprint races in previous seasons. Saturday will be all about the sprint race. First of all, a sprint race shootout will take place: a separate qualifying session for the sprint race line-up later in the day.
After this separate qualification, the sprint race will take place. Under the new format, the result of this race will no longer affect the starting line-up for the Grand Prix on Sunday, as it did before. Qualifying for the race already takes place on the Friday. Also, Formula 1 drivers have only one free practice that they can drive.
Championship points during an F1 sprint race
No points are handed out during a regular qualifying session, but points are awarded during sprint races, although not as many as the ‘normal’ race on Sunday. In the sprint, only the top eight drivers score points. The Formula 1 driver who finishes in first place will receive 8 points and the one who manages to finish eighth can add 1 point to the championship.
Different points system in 2021
However, the point count during the first sprint races in 2021 was different. Here, only the top 3 received points. Number 1 received 3 points, number 2 received 2 points and number 3 received 1 point.
Winners F1 sprint races and sprint race shootouts 2023
The table below lists all F1 sprint race winners of the 2023 season and Formula 1 drivers who achieved pole position during the sprint race shootout.
| Race | Date | Pole | Winner |
| Azerbaijan GP | April 29 2023 | Charles Leclerc | Sergio Perez |
| Austrian GP | July 1 2023 | Max Verstappen | Max Verstappen |
| Belgium GP | July 29 2023 | Max Verstappen | Max Verstappen |
| Qatar GP | October 7 2023 | – | – |
| US GP | October 22 2023 | – | – |
| Brazilian GP | November 4 2023 | – | – |
F1 sprint race weekend schedule
The schedule of a sprint race weekend looks different than during a regular race weekend. During a standard race weekend, the first two free practice sessions take place on Friday, the third free practice on Saturday, followed by qualifying. On Sunday, the race takes place.
What does the schedule of a sprint race weekend look like?
- Friday early afternoon – Free practice 1
- Friday late afternoon – Qualifying for race
- Saturday morning – Sprint race shootout qualifying for sprintrace
- Saturday afternoon – Sprint Race
- Sunday – Grand Prix
A notable difference from a regular race weekend is also that during an F1 sprint race weekend, there is only one free practice instead of three. Again, this can create more excitement on the track. Also, Saturday during the 2023 season will be all about the sprint race.
Why sprint racing?
The reason Formula 1 sprint races were created is to create more excitement mainly for the fans across an entire race weekend. On Friday, there is the excitement of qualifying, on Saturday the sprint race shootout and sprint race and on Sunday the grand prix. Qualifying on Friday determines the starting line-up for the sprint race.
The driver who manages to achieve first place during qualifying does get officially awarded pole position, which has been the case since 2022. Controversially, this was not the case in 2021, when the winner of the sprint race received this title. The pole position of the sprint race shootout does not officially count as pole position.
Varying opinions of F1 drivers
Not all Formula 1 drivers were enthusiastic about the arrival of sprint racing in 2021, but the vast majority were. Sergio Perez, for example, thought the format was too unusual, while Sebastian Vettel did not think it was a bad idea at all.
In the end, though, the sprint race format was judged successful and the concept was carried through to the 2022 and 2023 F1 seasons.
First F1 sprint race of 2021
The 2021 British Grand Prix saw the first sprint race. Lewis Hamilton started from pole position, having qualified fastest the day before. However, Max Verstappen overtook him at the start and ended up becoming the first winner of a sprint race.
These points that Verstappen gained from this sprint race ended up being very important during the exciting title battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, which Max Verstappen eventually won.
FAQs
Where can I watch the Austrian sprint race?
The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on ESPN+.
What time does F1 start UK?
The next F1 race is the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, which takes places on Sunday, August 27 at 3pm local time (2pm in the UK). After a sprint format weekend in Belgium, the Dutch GP schedule has a traditional structure of two practice sessions on Friday, a third on Saturday morning and then qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
What is F1 sprint day?
With that, fans were made to understand that three more races would be added to the 2022 schedule. In principle, an F1 Sprint is a shorter race – approximately 100km or 62 miles – which puts drivers into situations that typically take more time to unfold.
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