The 2026 F1 sprint weekends
6 of the 23 rounds in 2026 are sprint weekends — an extra, shorter race on the Saturday.
2026 F1 sprint calendar
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Sprint weekend | Start times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 🇨🇳 Chinese GP | Shanghai International Circuit | March 14 | in your timezone → |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 Miami GP | Miami International Autodrome | May 2 | in your timezone → |
| 5 | 🇨🇦 Canadian GP · first sprint | Circuit Gilles Villeneuve | May 23 | in your timezone → |
| 9 | 🇬🇧 British GP | Silverstone Circuit | July 4 | in your timezone → |
| 12 | 🇳🇱 Dutch GP · first sprint | Circuit Park Zandvoort | August 22 | in your timezone → |
| 17 | 🇸🇬 Singapore GP · first sprint | Marina Bay Street Circuit | October 10 | in your timezone → |
Each row links to that Grand Prix’s page, where every session — including the Saturday sprint — is shown in your own timezone.
How the 2026 F1 sprint weekend works
A sprint weekend reshuffles the usual three days of practice, qualifying and race. The Saturday sprint is a short race — about 100 km, roughly a third of a Grand Prix distance, with no mandatory pit stop — run on top of the normal Sunday Grand Prix, so a sprint weekend has two races that both pay championship points.
- Friday: one hour of practice (FP1), then Sprint Qualifying — a three-part session (SQ1 12 min, SQ2 10 min, SQ3 8 min) that sets the grid for the sprint.
- Saturday: the Sprint race in the morning, then traditional Grand Prix qualifying in the afternoon to set Sunday’s grid.
- Sunday: the Grand Prix as normal.
Sprint Qualifying replaces Friday’s second practice and the Saturday sprint replaces third practice, so teams get far less running before the racing starts — which is a large part of why sprint weekends tend to be less predictable.
2026 F1 sprint points
Only the top eight finishers score in the sprint, on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale — 8 points for the sprint win down to a single point for eighth. Everyone from ninth back scores nothing:
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 |
| 8 | 1 |
That is a separate, smaller haul on top of the Sunday race, where the top ten score on the full 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 scale. Sprint points still count toward both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, so a strong Saturday can swing a title race — see the live F1 2026 standings to track how they add up. For the full breakdown of both scales, see how the F1 points system works.
Not sure who lines up for which team on a sprint Saturday? Check the 2026 F1 drivers and teams grid, and for every round — sprint or not — see the full 2026 schedule in your own timezone.
Sprint format and venues can change from season to season; this page reflects the 2026 sprint calendar. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1.