F1 Sprint explained: What's new for 2024?
With a fresh new format, the first F1 Sprint of the season takes place at the Chinese Grand Prix. Ahead of the weekend's action, here's what to expect.
F1 Sprint was introduced in 2021 as a way to inject extra variety and excitement into the race weekend – and provide more opportunities for wheel-to-wheel action.
For the 2024 season, F1 Sprint has evolved, with the structure of a Sprint weekend undergoing changes in a bid to freshen up the format.
To get you up to speed, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first F1 Sprint of the 2024 season at the Chinese Grand Prix.
What are the major changes for 2024?
The structure of F1 Sprint weekends has been revised. The Sprint Shootout to determine the grid for the Sprint will now take place following the sole Free Practice session on Friday. Saturday will start with the Sprint – a 100km race with no mandatory tyre changes and points awarded on a sliding scale down to eighth place. Qualifying for the Grand Prix will follow the Saturday Sprint, with the Grand Prix taking place on Sunday.
Setup change
The changes to the structure of the weekend allow greater flexibility in the setup of the car, with any data gathered during the Sprint able to be used to inform setup changes prior to Qualifying and the Grand Prix.
Previously, during Sprint weekends, teams were unable to alter or adjust cars from the start of the Sprint Shootout due to parc fermé rules. Now, however, cars will be under parc fermé conditions from the start of the Sprint Shootout until the end of the Sprint, after which parc fermé conditions will be lifted and changes will be permitted before Qualifying on Saturday when parc fermé conditions will be applied again throughout the rest of the weekend.
The Shootout
The format of the Sprint Shootout remains unchanged. Unlike a standard Qualifying session, tyre compounds are mandated. The Medium tyre is mandated for SQ1 and SQ2, and only the Soft tyre is permitted in SQ3.
There are 12 minutes to set a time in SQ1, with the top 15 drivers advancing to a 10-minute SQ2. Only the top-10 fastest drivers go through to SQ3, a rapid eight-minute session that determines the top spots on the grid for Saturday's Sprint.
Where will the Sprints take place?
Mirroring the previous season, 2024 will feature six F1 Sprint weekends, with Shanghai International Circuit and Miami International Autodrome hosting Sprints for the first time. Sprints will also take place in Austria, the United States, Sāo Paulo and Qatar this season.
This year, Sāo Paulo will host its fourth Sprint and Austria its third, while both Austin and Qatar are to due host their second following the success of their 2023 Sprint events.
The return to China
Five years on from the most recent Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai International Circuit will be hosting the first Sprint of the season. The weekend will mark 20 years since the first Chinese Grand Prix, which took place in 2004. It will be the first time that Aston Martin Aramco has raced in the country and as we prepare to make our Chinese Grand Prix debut, we're harnessing the power of sport to connect cultures and fans.
For the latest updates and unmissable content throughout our first race week in China, stay tuned to this website and @AstonMartinF1 on social.
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