Ross Brawn confirms 6 Sprint Races for 2023 in wake of his Formula 1 exit

Former Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn has revealed that the number of sprint races will increase to six for the 2023 season.

The format was introduced in 2021, with the British Grand Prix playing host to the first event, followed by Monza and Sao Paulo. The same number of sprints occurred again in 2022, but the sport is set to double the amount to six in 2023.

Their introduction was approved by unanimous agreement with the teams, but since the format's debut, plenty of people from within and outside the paddock have voiced concern.

The most notable example is World Champion Max Verstappen, who, despite winning two of the three sprints this season, said racing should be saved for a Sunday.

Despite the Dutchman's concern, F1 is pressing on with sprints in the belief they add value for the fans attending the track across the weekend - and Brawn suggested more could be added in the future.

The optimum number

Brawn, who left his role as F1's managing director of motorsports at the end of the 2022 season, wrote in his column for F1.com that he was still not sure what the "optimum number" of sprints is.

"On the sporting regulations, we've had an open mind about how we should develop the race weekend format," Brawn said. "There are already a lot of good things in F1.

"I happen to think the current qualifying spec is pretty good. Three-stage qualifying keeps people engaged for the whole time. It's exciting, and it occasionally throws up a few variables.

"The sprint was an initiative which seems to have worked. We are expanding to six sprints next year.

"I don't know what will be the optimum number we will settle at long term. Some argue we should have it at every race. We'll see if that's how it evolves. The sprint has certainly