How do F1 sprint races work? Format, qualifying and more - ESPN

A Formula 1 weekend has become a must-see, three-day social event wrapped around a grand prix. For 24 weekends out of the year, F1 takes over a city and brings with it its open-wheel, single-seat race cars and a full-blown party atmosphere. While the bulk of the F1 season consists of traditional grand prix weekends, six of those weekends are reserved for standalone sprint races. The next sprint race in the 2025 F1 calendar is the Miami Grand Prix.

Here's a breakdown of the F1 sprint races and how they work:

What is an F1 sprint race?

A sprint is a short race that covers 100 km — or about one-third of a typical grand prix distance — and lasts about 30 minutes. This shorter length encourages a more dynamic and less strategic race. Unlike a grand prix, a sprint race has no pit stops. Just flat-out, aggressive racing from start to finish.

How does an F1 sprint race work?

During a traditional grand prix weekend, F1 drivers take the track for five sessions — three hourlong practice sessions (two on Friday and another on Saturday), an hourlong qualifying session on Saturday, and the grand prix main event on Sunday.

On a sprint weekend, two of those practice sessions are deleted. Instead, there's one practice session on Friday, followed by a qualifying session that sets the grid for the sprint race. That qualifying session replaces the second practice session. Then the actual sprint race takes place Saturday instead of the usual third practice session. Qualifying for the grand prix happens as normal later in the day on Saturday, followed by the grand prix on Sunday.

How does F1 sprint qualifying work?

Qualifying for an F1 sprint race takes place on Friday afternoon and is split into three stages. The five slowest drivers are