When F1 Sprint first debuted in 2021, qualifying was moved to Friday and used to set the grid for a brand-new 100-kilometer race.
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Beginning with this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Formula 1 has confirmed changes to the F1 Sprint format for the six events that will be held throughout the 2023 season. When F1 Sprint first debuted in 2021, qualifying was moved to Friday and used to set the grid for a brand-new 100-kilometer race on Saturday. This race then determined the starting order for the main event on Sunday.
The F1 Sprint, however, will essentially become a standalone feature of race weekends when the format is used this year due to changes, with the results having no bearing on the grid for the Grand Prix itself.
Fridays will now feature FP1 practise and regular qualifying to determine the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday, while Saturdays will feature the ongoing 100-kilometer race and an additional, earlier qualifying session dubbed the “Sprint Shootout.”
Read More – 2023 Azerbaijan GP: Preview, Where to watch, Dates, Schedule, Live Streaming details
The shootout, which will take the place of the previous FP2 held on the Saturday morning of Sprint weekends, will be a shorter session than traditional qualifying, with SQ1 scheduled to last for 12 minutes, SQ2 for 10 minutes, and SQ3 for eight minutes. Each phase requires brand-new tyres, with mediums for SQ1 and SQ2 and softs for SQ3. Drivers should be more motivated to push through the 100km race, which typically lasts for about 30 minutes, now that the F1 Sprint is contained within the race weekend and any incidents won’t affect Grand Prix starting positions.
The F1 Sprint race continues to award the same number of points: eight to the winner, seven to second, six to third, one in eighth, and so on. Drivers and teams will earn points for their respective championships. The other F1 Sprint venues for 2023, in addition to Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan, are Red Bull Ring in Austria, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Lusail Circuit in Qatar, Circuit of The Americas in the United States, and Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
This leads to the following procedure for applying penalties at F1 Sprint events: any grid penalties incurred in first practise or qualifying will apply to the race; any grid penalties incurred in the Sprint Shootout will apply to the Sprint; and any grid penalties incurred in the Sprint will apply to the race. Additionally, if the parc ferme is violated, the race and the Sprint will both start from the pit lane; otherwise, power unit-related penalties will only be applied to the race.
A decision was made to increase the number of internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K elements for 2023 only from three to four during Tuesday’s F1 Commission meeting, which confirmed the Sprint changes. In addition, the recently released Sporting Directive’s revised definition of “working on a car” while serving a pit stop penalty will now be incorporated into the Sporting Regulations.
It was also decided to exempt some “Sustainability Initiative Costs” from the cost cap. These costs include those related to installing sustainable infrastructure, auditing and monitoring competitors’ carbon footprints, making donations to organisations that support environmental sustainability initiatives, and running carbon offset programmes.
