Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola: How does the sprint format work? When is qualifying, the sprint and GP this weekend?

Friday sees the return of the sprint format at this weekend’s Emilia-Romanga Grand Prix in Italy, meaning there’s a fresh look to the way qualifying, the sprint, and the race itself take place. In an effort to make qualifying more exciting they have changed the arrangement for the day.

Ad/> In the season’s fourth round, there will be more chances for teams to challenge current campaign leader Charles Leclerc. On Friday there is qualifying, followed by a sprint race on Saturday and a race proper on Sunday, as usual.

This format will be used two more times over the course of the season, also featuring in Austria and Brazil. Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix‘We hated each other’ – Leclerc lifts lid on rivalry with Verstappen in karting days4 HOURS AGO Last year points were awarded to the top three finishers in the sprint race — three for first place, two for second and one point for third — but this year there are points for the top eight, with eight points for first, with a point fewer for each place further behind.

The result of the sprint will determine the grid order for Sunday's main event. Qualifying starts at 16:00 BST on Friday afternoon, setting the running order for Saturday, and there are two Free Practice sessions instead of three to account for the extra race.