How the F1 Sprint at the United States Grand Prix in Austin works: Schedule and points explained
The Austin weekend features a shorter Saturday race with points on the line before Sunday’s main Grand Prix.
Following the Miami Grand Prix in May, Formula 1 returns to the United States this weekend for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, from Oct. 17 to 19.
The United States Grand Prix is the fourth of six Sprint weekends on the 2025 calendar, meaning fans can look forward to more flat-out racing than on a traditional Grand Prix weekend.
For most Grands Prix, there are three Free Practice sessions (FP1, FP2 and FP3). On Sprint weekends, however, two of those sessions are replaced by Sprint qualifying and the Sprint race itself.
What is the F1 sprint?
The F1 Sprint is essentially a shorter version of a Grand Prix held on Saturday, the day before the main race. It covers roughly 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, and does not include any mandatory pit stops.
F1 Sprint points
The top eight drivers at the end of the Sprint earn championship points: eight for first place, seven for second, and so on down to one point for eighth. Those points are added to each driver’s total in the World Drivers’ Championship standings.
F1 Sprint qualifying details
Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday and consists of three timed sessions: SQ1 (12 minutes), SQ2 (10 minutes) and SQ3 (eight minutes). The five slowest cars in SQ1 and SQ2 are eliminated and fill positions 11 through 20 on the Sprint grid. The top 10 starting positions are determined in SQ3.
Main event on Sunday
The Grand Prix itself is not affected by the Sprint format, other than having fewer practice sessions. Qualifying for the Grand Prix takes place on Saturday after the Sprint, with the full-length race remaining the main event on Sunday.
2025 United States Grand Prix schedule
Friday October 17: Practice 1, 1:30 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET
Friday October 17: F1 Sprint qualifying, 5:30 p.m. - 6:14 p.m. ET
Saturday October 18: F1 Sprint, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
Saturday October 18: Grand Prix qualifying, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
Sunday October 19: Grand Prix race, 3:00 p.m. ET
F1 Sprint weekend schedule 2025
| Date | Track | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-23 March | Shanghai | China | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) |
| 2-4 May | Miami | Florida | Lando Norris (McLaren) |
| 25-27 July | Spa-Francorchamps | Belgium | Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) |
| 17-19 October | Austin | USA | TBD |
| 7-9 November | São Paulo | Brazil | TBD |
| 28-30 November | Lusail | Qatar | TBD |
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