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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
Miami and Austin will continue to host sprint races in 2025 after Formula One confirmed all six venues that will stage the alternative weekend format next season.
China, Miami, Belgium, Austin, Brazil and Qatar will all feature the shortened race format on the Saturday of their events, meaning the only change to this year’s schedule is Austria’s sprint weekend making way for Belgium.
As is the case this year, it will mean three of the final six rounds of the championship are sprint weekends.
The sprint format sees second practice of a normal weekend exchanged for sprint qualifying on the Friday and final practice swapped out for the sprint race on Saturdays.
Qualifying for the Grand Prix take place as normal on Saturday and Sunday.
Despite changes to the format being discussed earlier this year, the six sprint races for next season are all set to run to the same regulations as they have done in 2024.
Each sprint race is a third of the length of a standard grand prix, offering championship points in descending order to the top eight finishers, from eight points for first place down to one point for eighth.
F1 boasts increased audience viewing figures for sprint sessions over the free practice sessions they replace, with the entire 2023 U.S. Grand Prix sprint weekend seeing audience growth of 6% versus the non-sprint 2022 U.S. Grand Prix weekend.
Last year, Max Verstappen secured his third drivers’ championship in the Qatar sprint race, meaning he secured the title with six grands prix left to run.
“The Sprint has been a great success for Formula One, bringing all our fans more action and racing on the track,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said.
“We are seeing the proof of this in our audience data, fan attendance on Fridays and from the promoters and partners.
“As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2025 we will always honour our incredible history, but we must always be looking ahead, innovating, and improving to deliver the best for our growing and diverse fanbase.
“The sprint is a great example of bringing new elements to our sport in a way that is respectful of the championship, and I want to thank the six venues that will host the sprint in 2025 and look forward to those incredible events throughout the season.”
2025 sprint race dates
March 21-23 – Chinese Grand Prix
May 2-4 – Miami Grand Prix
July 25-27 – Belgian Grand Prix
October 17-19 – U.S. Grand Prix
November 7-9 – Brazilian Grand Prix
November 28-30 – Qatar Grand Prix.