F1, Sprint Race: new format is official, everything changes as early as Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan the first Sprint Race of the year

Formula 1’s top management confirmed, just days before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, all the new features related to the Sprint Race format, which will be introduced just this weekend in Baku.

As explained in the communiqué released Tuesday afternoon, the six weekends with Saturday “mini-race” will be composed as follows: on Friday FP1, followed by qualifying for the race; on Saturday “Sprint Shootout” (qualifying for the Sprint Race composed of three sessions lasting 12, 10 and 8 minutes respectively) followed by the Sprint Race of about 100 km; and on Sunday Grand Prix. Eliminated, in this type of weekend, FP2 and FP3, which remain in the “classic” weekends.

As for the “Sprint Shootout,” it will be mandatory to mount new sets of medium tires in the first two sessions and new sets of soft tires in the last one. The actual Sprint Race will no longer be linked to the Gp: in fact, the result will not affect the Sunday starting grid, which is determined by Friday afternoon’s qualifying.

The points awarded will remain 8 to the winner of the Sprint Race, 7 to the second, 6 to the third, and down to eighth. Azerbaijan is the first round, the others are scheduled in Austria, Belgium, Qatar, the United States and Brazil.