Formula One: officials shake up sprint race format in time for Azerbaijan Grand Prix, make 100km dash stand-alone event
- A shortened qualifying version will be held in the morning of the approximately 30 minute race to define the starting order for the sprint
- Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix will now be held on Friday, and the traditional three-session qualifying preceded by a first practice session
Formula One has approved a shake-up to the sprint format in time for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In Baku, which stages the first of this season’s six sprints, the 100km dash becomes a stand-alone event on the Saturday of race weekends.
A shortened qualifying version will be held in the morning of the approximately 30 minute race to define the starting order for the sprint first introduced in 2021.
Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix will now be held on Friday, and the traditional three-session qualifying preceded by a first practice session.
The shake-up was approved by the teams at the Australian Grand Prix at the start of the month, with the changes rubber stamped by the FIA’s F1 commission on Tuesday.
Up to now, the three sprints held in 2021 and last year have shaped the grid for Sunday’s main event.