Sprint races in Formula 1 remain contentious with fans and drivers split on whether they should continue. In 2024, there will be six Sprint races occurring in China, Miami, Austria, the United States, Brazil and Qatar with three of them scheduled in the final six races of the season.
Following feedback from teams and drivers in 2023, the Sprint format underwent changes to address issues such as insufficient practice time leading to incorrect setups. The new format includes Free Practice 1 on Friday followed by the Sprint Shootout qualifying session.
Parc ferme conditions apply for the Sprint race on Saturday morning then reopen for qualifying on Saturday afternoon and the main race on Sunday. The Sprint race retains its 100km distance, equivalent to one-third of the standard grand prix distance. The following tables illustrate both the updated format and its implementation for the upcoming race in Shanghai this weekend.
FORMULA 1 SPRINT FORMAT 2024:
| TIME | SESSION |
|---|---|
| Friday – morning/early afternoon | First free practice |
| Friday – late afternoon | Sprint Shootout |
| Saturday – morning/early afternoon | Sprint race |
| Saturday – end of afternoon | Qualifying |
| Sunday – afternoon | Race |
TIMETABLE CHINESE GP:
| SESSION | DATE | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Free practice 1 | Friday 19 April | – |
| Sprint shootout | Friday 19 April | – |
| Sprintrace | Saturday 20 April | – |
| Qualification | Saturday 20 April | – |
| Race | Sunday 21 April | – |
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