The revised weekend schedule will now include practice and sprint qualifying sessions on Friday, followed by Saturday featuring both the Sprint Race and the main race’s qualifying rounds, culminating in the main race on Sunday.
After extensive feedback criticised the previous format’s effectiveness in 2023, this overhaul was carefully considered. Previously, with only one practice session on Friday before the main race’s qualifying, drivers facing issues early in the weekend were disadvantaged for Sunday’s race. Additionally, the approach to Saturday’s sprint as an isolated event led to teams often sidelining its importance in favour of gathering data for Sunday’s main race.
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Enhancements to F1 Sprint Weekends
With six sprint events scheduled for the extensive 2024 season, the F1 commission aims to enrich the experience for fans and teams alike. Although it remains to be seen if adjustments to the points system will further incentivise competition during sprint weekends, the format changes mark a promising direction forward.
The sprint race modifications have sparked a variety of opinions among drivers and commentators. Notably, Sky Sports F1’s David Croft proposed the idea of a separate world championship for sprint events, highlighting the ongoing debate on optimising sprint racing.
2024 Sprint Weekend Format
| Day | First Session | Second Session |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | FP1 | Sprint Shootout – SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3 |
| Saturday | Sprint Race | Grand Prix Qualifying – Q1, Q2 and Q3 |
| Sunday | Grand Prix | n/a |
2024 F1 Sprint Race Calendar
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