Sprint race format set to change for 2024

Formula One is set to change its sprint format for the 2024 season after support from teams and stakeholders to make race weekends easier to follow.

The sport’s governing body, the FIA, said on Friday its Sporting Advisory Committee would present a final proposal to the F1 Commission in January.

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“The Commission gave overall support for an update to the sprint format for 2024 to further rationalise the weekend by separating Sprint activities from those for the Grand Prix,” the FIA said in a statement.

“The final calendar for the 2024 sprint events will be published in the coming weeks.”

Six of this year’s 22 rounds were sprint weekends, including the Qatar Grand Prix in which Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched his third world title on a Saturday.

Teams have been discussing moving the qualifying ‘shootout’ to Friday, with the 100km race then held on Saturday morning before qualifying for the main Sunday grand prix.

The current format has qualifying for the grand prix on Friday with sprint qualifying and standalone race filling Saturday’s schedule.

“I think it’s clear that the sprints need to evolve a bit,” Red Bull boss Christian Horner told reporters.

“The sprints in some cases have been slightly underwhelming. There’s no pitstop, it tends to stay in grid order and its a little bit like getting a medal for a long run.

“I think it needs a bit more work doing on it within the sporting forum and then no doubt we’ll sit down at the next commission meeting early in the New Year and hopefully finalise a format.”

Points could be awarded more widely for the sprint race, with a possible reverse grid element also under consideration.

The F1 Commission agreed to keep tyre blankets through the 2025 season and approved updates to the technical regulations allowing increased driver cooling to be fitted to the car after the heat and humidity in Qatar caused driver safety concerns.

It also agreed that teams would not be allowed to carry out development work on 2026 cars before the start of the 2025 season.