F1 sprint shootout format approved by teams for Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The F1 Commission and the FIA have approved new sprint weekend format changes which will see an extra qualifying session added to the schedule for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The new order of play sees a new ‘sprint shootout’ take place on Saturday morning instead of a second practice session, with traditional qualifying on Friday now setting the grid for Sunday’s grand prix.

It means there will be just one practice session over the course of the weekend, while Saturday is designated ‘sprint day’.

The result of the Saturday sprint – a 100km dash, roughly a third of the distance of the grand prix – will not impact the grid for Sunday, as opposed to the past two years. Points will be awarded to the top-eight, as was the case in 2022.

The changes were approved by all 10 F1 teams and the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council on Tuesday.

Under the old sprint weekend format, used since the sprint’s introduction into Formula 1 in 2021, a 60-minute FP1 on Friday was followed by traditional qualifying, which dictated the starting grid for the Saturday sprint race.

But now, that Friday qualifying session will take on added weight as it will set the grid for Sunday’s grand prix, regardless of what happens in Saturday’s sprint race.

On Saturday, instead of what was seen as a generally pointless second practice session on Saturday, a new ‘sprint shootout’ will take place to form the starting grid for the sprint race later in the day.

It will follow the same Q1-Q2-Q3 format but the session times will be shorter than traditional qualifying: Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 will be 10 minutes and Q3 will be eight minutes.

NEW SPRINT WEEKEND FORMAT

Friday: Free Practice 1; qualifying (for Sunday’s Grand Prix)

Saturday: Sprint shootout; sprint race (Top-eight receive points, finish order will have no impact on Grand Prix grid)

Sunday: Grand Prix

The intention here is to add more jeopardy, with the potential for one-lap shoot-outs in Q3. Mandatory new tyres will be in place for this session, with Q1 and Q2 using mediums and Q3 softs.

The top-eight for the sprint race will receive points – eight for first, descending down to one for eighth – but it will have no impact on the starting grid for Sunday, dictated by Friday’s traditional qualifying.

An F1 spokesperson said: “The purpose of the changes to the Sprint have been based on feedback from fans, drivers, media and broadcasters to try to make this a standalone part of the weekend and to tackle the issue that drivers hold position once we are into the main part of the race in order not to jeopardise their position for the GP.

“The data has shown a major increase in audiences and engagement on Fridays when we have real action on the track vs practice. With the changes we will now have three days of competition vs two days under normal conditions.”

It remains to be seen how the likes of Max Verstappen - who is not a supporter of the sprint race format in F1 and has threatened to quit the sport if more format changes are made - will respond to the radical new changes.

F1 and the FIA voted last year to double the number of sprint weekends this season from three to six.

As well as Baku this weekend, sprints will also be held in Austria, Spa, Qatar, Austin and Brazil.