F1 Sprint 2025: Hours, points, format explained, qualification, race and premises for the new season | F1 News

Everything you need to know about the Formula 1 Sprint weekend format for 2025.

When and where are the Sprint weekends?

Six of the 24 F1 weekends take place again in Sprint format during the 2025 season:

Spa-Francorchamps (which had previously staged one in 2023) replaced Austria as the third sprint event of the year, while the other five sites are unchanged.

What is Sprint?

The Sprint format – With a short -term Saturday race as a centerpiece – was added to the F1 calendar during selected events of the 2021 season in order to spice up the action on the tracks known to be good for the overtaking, while ensuring that there were competitive track sessions for fans who attended the circuit and watching on television on the three days of the race weekend.

Initially introduced in only three places per season before switching to six from 2023, these weekends have a delighted calendar Own qualification session Friday And before a 100 km breed SATURDAYin which crucial additional world championship points are offered.

What is the Sprint Weekend format?

There is no change compared to 2024.

Sprint weekends begin with a single free training session Friday, which, as usual, lasts an hour.

Qualifying sprint Then will follow later Friday.

Saturday then open with the 100 km Sprint contest, with qualifying complex After later the day, the definition of the grid for the Grand Prix Sunday.

How does the qualifying sprint work?

The Friday session to define the Sprint grid will follow the same format as last season, each of its three parts performing the same direct elimination rules as complete qualifications but towards shorter durations to respond to the concerns of the engine and tires.

• SQ1 is 12 minutes
• SQ2 is 10 minutes
• SQ3 is eight minutes

The initial objective is that each car would have only one flying tower with each session, although two cycles can be carried out in SQ1 while SQ2 and SQ3 allow the time of two timed rounds without stand between attempts.

The other significant difference between sprint qualifications and complete qualifications is restrictions on the use of tires in the first.

While drivers are free to use one of their tires available in regular qualification, in the sprint shooting, they are only allowed to perform only one set of tires in each part.

A new set of average tires is compulsory in SQ1 and SQ2, while a set of soft tires is compulsory in SQ3, but they don’t have to be new.

What are the points systems for the sprint?

The points for the sprint in 2025 remain unchanged.

In total, 36 points are offered for the eight best finisters during the Saturday race. This is allocated as follows:

• 1st place – 8 points
• 2nd place – 7 points
• 3rd place – 6 points
• 4th place – 5 points
• 5th place – 4 points
• 6th place – 3 points
• 7th place – 2 points
• 8th place – 1 point

And additional points throughout the season can certainly be crucial: Max Verstappen in 2023 became the first driver to win a world title in a sprint on Saturday in Qatar.

Are there any stand stops in the sprint?

Stand stops are rare, given the short duration of a sprint.

Unlike the Grand Prix, there is no compulsory change of tires required and, unless the cars undergo damage or perforations or crying, do not expect them to leave the action on the right track for the lane of the stands between the lights and the checkered flag.

Drivers are free to operate on any tire compound – hard, medium or soft – they want.

How often can teams change their car between sessions?

Since the adoption of the current sprint calendar, the teams have had a second opportunity to modify their car during the weekend.

Cars are still entering the park when the first competitive session – Friday sprint qualifications – starts, but they are then released from restrictions after the sprint on Saturday.

The teams are fortunate to use the knowledge they have acquired to modify the configurations before the complete qualifications, at the beginning of which they will be locked again for the race on Sunday.

Look at the 24 racing weekends of the 2025 season live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract, cancel at any time