How does the F1 sprint work?
A sprint is a short, standalone race on the Saturday of selected Grand Prix weekends — about 100 km, roughly a third of a full Grand Prix. Its grid is set by a separate Sprint Qualifying session, the top 8 finishers score points on a 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale, and it does not decide the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
What a sprint weekend is
On most rounds an F1 weekend builds up across three free practice sessions to Saturday qualifying and the Sunday Grand Prix. A sprint weekend keeps the Sunday Grand Prix exactly as it is but compresses everything before it: there is just one free practice, and the track time that would have been the other two practices becomes competitive instead — a Sprint Qualifying session and a short sprint race that pays championship points. It is a way to put more racing, and more at stake, into the Friday and Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend.
The sprint is a self-contained event. Its result has no bearing on where anyone starts Sunday’s Grand Prix — that grid is still set by the normal three-part Grand Prix qualifying, which runs on the same weekend. The only things the sprint decides are the sprint’s own result and the points that come with it.
Sprint qualifying (SQ1, SQ2, SQ3)
The grid for the sprint is set by Sprint Qualifying — a dedicated, shorter knockout run earlier in the weekend. It works like Grand Prix qualifying, split into three parts, but the parts are shorter and there is a compulsory tyre rule: drivers must use medium tyres in SQ1 and SQ2 and soft tyres in SQ3 when it is dry. With 2026’s 22-car grid, the slowest 6 are eliminated after SQ1 and 6 more after SQ2, leaving the fastest 10 to fight for Sprint Pole.
| Part | Length | Cars | Eliminated | Tyre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQ1 | ~12 min | 22 | 6 | Medium |
| SQ2 | ~10 min | 16 | 6 | Medium |
| SQ3 | ~8 min | 10 | — | Soft |
SQ1 (~12 min). All 22 cars run on medium tyres. The slowest 6 are knocked out; the fastest 16 go through to SQ2.
SQ2 (~10 min). The 16 survivors run again, still on mediums. The slowest 6 drop out; the fastest 10 advance to the pole shootout.
SQ3 (~8 min). The final 10 fight for Sprint Pole on soft tyres, their order setting the front of the Saturday sprint grid.
The sprint race: distance and points
The sprint itself is a flat-out dash over a fixed distance of about 100 km — roughly one third of a full Grand Prix, or around 25–30 minutes of racing. It starts from a standing grid, exactly like a Grand Prix, but there is no mandatory pit stop and no time limit beyond covering the distance, so cars generally run start to finish without stopping.
Only the top 8 finishers score, on a 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale — 8 points for the sprint win down to 1 for 8th. There is no bonus point for taking Sprint Pole or the fastest lap. These points are added on top of whatever a driver scores in Sunday’s Grand Prix and count toward both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 |
For how these fit into the full championship picture — the Grand Prix scale, the abolished fastest-lap point and the most points possible in a weekend — see the F1 points system explained.
How a sprint weekend differs from a normal one
The simplest way to think about it: a normal weekend has three practices, one qualifying and one race; a sprint weekend has one practice, two qualifying sessions and two races. One qualifying (SQ1/SQ2/SQ3) sets the sprint grid and the other (the normal Q1/Q2/Q3) sets the Grand Prix grid, and the two are kept completely separate. The Sunday Grand Prix, its length and its points are unchanged — the sprint is an addition to the weekend, not a replacement for anything on Sunday.
The 6 2026 F1 sprint weekends
6 of the 23 rounds on the 2026 calendar are sprint weekends. Each links to its full session times, converted to your timezone:
For the dates and the running order of every sprint weekend, see the full 2026 F1 sprint schedule.
How does the F1 sprint work? — FAQ
How does the F1 sprint work?
A sprint is a short, standalone race held on the Saturday of selected Grand Prix weekends — about 100 km, roughly a third of a full Grand Prix, with a standing start and no mandatory pit stop. Its own grid is set by a separate, shorter Sprint Qualifying session (SQ1, SQ2, SQ3) held earlier in the weekend. The top 8 finishers score championship points, and the sprint result does not set the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix — that is decided by the normal qualifying, which still runs on the same weekend.
How many points do you get for winning an F1 sprint?
The sprint winner scores 8 points. Only the top 8 finishers score, on a 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale — 8 for the win down to 1 for 8th — and there is no bonus point for sprint pole or fastest lap. These points are separate from, and on top of, the points scored in Sunday's Grand Prix, and count toward both the drivers' and constructors' championships.
How long is an F1 sprint race?
A sprint is run over a fixed distance of about 100 km — roughly one third of a full Grand Prix — which takes somewhere around 25 to 30 minutes. It is a flat-out dash: there is no time limit beyond covering the distance and no compulsory pit stop, so cars typically run start to finish without stopping.
What is sprint qualifying?
Sprint Qualifying is a dedicated, shorter knockout that sets the grid for the Saturday sprint only. Like Grand Prix qualifying it has three parts, labelled SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3, but they are shorter (about 12, 10 and 8 minutes) and come with a tyre rule: mediums must be used in SQ1 and SQ2 and softs in SQ3. With 2026's 22-car grid the slowest 6 drop out after SQ1 and 6 more after SQ2, leaving the fastest 10 to fight for Sprint Pole.
How many sprint races are there in 2026?
There are 6 sprint weekends on the 2026 F1 calendar — the format is not used at every round, only at selected ones. On those weekends the Saturday sprint is run in addition to the usual Sunday Grand Prix; the remaining rounds are normal race weekends with no sprint.
How is a sprint weekend different from a normal race weekend?
A sprint weekend swaps two of the three usual practice sessions for competitive running. Instead of three free practices, there is only one, after which Sprint Qualifying sets the sprint grid; the Saturday then holds the sprint itself plus the normal Grand Prix qualifying, and Sunday's Grand Prix runs as usual. So a sprint weekend has two separate qualifying sessions — one for the sprint, one for the Grand Prix — and an extra race, but the Sunday Grand Prix and its points are unchanged.
Know the format — now catch it live. See when qualifying and the race start for the United States GP in your timezone, or browse the full 2026 F1 schedule.
The sprint format, Sprint Qualifying tyre rule and 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sprint points are fixed by the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations and current as of 31 August 2026; the number of sprint weekends and the per-session elimination counts derive from the committed 2026 schedule and grid (22 cars). Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1.