FORMULA ONE
What are the new sprint races added to the F1 Championship calendar?
Formula One Organization announced that the sprint races, introduced three years ago, will also take place on six racing weekends during the 2024 season.
The upcoming Formula One season will feature sprint weekends in six different locations, namely China (19-21 April), Miami (3-5 May), Austria (28-30 June), USA (18-20 October), Brazil (1-3 November), and Qatar (29 November-1 December).
While Interlagos has hosted the sprint format every year since its introduction, Austria has already hosted it twice, and the tracks in Austin and Losail will be hosting it for the second time in a row. China and Miami will be debuting in the sprint format this year.
The sprint format was introduced in 2021 to excite the audience during all three days of the competition. However, teams and drivers have appealed to separate the sessions related to the sprint and the race. The format is expected to change to some extent in the upcoming season. According to Sky Sports, all parties agree that it would be beneficial for the sprint qualifiers to be held on Friday after free practice, the sprint on Saturday morning, and then the qualifiers for the main race.
During discussions at the F1 Commission meeting in November, it was agreed that an update to the sprint format for 2024 would further rationalize the weekend by separating sprint activities from those for the Grand Prix.
The 2024 racing season is set to kick off with rigorous testing in Bahrain from February 21 to 23. This will allow teams to evaluate their new cars and assess their performance ahead of the first race, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 2, in Bahrain as well, on the famous night race.
Notably, next year’s racing calendar will feature an unprecedented 24 race weekends, making it the longest season in the sport’s history. This extended schedule will surely put the teams and drivers to the test as they compete in various locations across the globe. Exciting times are ahead for motorsports fans, with more races and action-packed weekends to look forward to, especially the viewers from the US who will be able to see the new format of racing on two occasions.