Autosport revealed over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend that Baku and Spa were both lined up to stage a sprint after it was agreed in September that there would be six 100km sprints in 2023, against three this year.
On Wednesday, F1 officially confirmed the six sprint locations for 2023, which are:
- Azerbaijan – Baku Street Circuit (April 30)
- Austria – Red Bull Ring (July 2)
- Belgium – Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (July 30)
- Qatar – Losail International Circuit (October 8)
- USA – Circuit of the Americas (October 22)
- Brazil – Interlagos (November 5)
Baku, Spa, Losail and Austin will host a sprint race for the first time since the format was introduced in 2021.
The Red Bull Ring hosted its first sprint this year, while Interlagos has been one of the most successful sprint tracks in its events in 2021 and 2022.
Imola was dropped from the sprint list after staging its first in April, while Qatar gets the green light for a race on Saturday when it returns to the F1 calendar. Qatar pulled out 2022 so they could focus on the FIFA World Cup, but return in 2023 to start a 10-year contract.
“We have seen an overwhelmingly positive reaction to F1 Sprint events in the first two years of its operation, and we look forward to bringing even more fan action with six events next year, including our first US F1 Sprint in Austin,” said Stefano Domenicali, CEO and President of F1.
“The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment for fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders, including teams. , broadcasters, partners and host sites.”
George Russell, Mercedes W13, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, at the Sprint grid
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
F1 is known to be considering adjustments to the format of sprint races in the future, including the possible move to making them stand-alone events that don’t impact the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
But the format will remain unchanged in 2023, awarding points to the top eight and the result setting the final starting grid for the grand prix.
Significant changes have been made for this year, including awarding pole position to whoever topped Friday’s qualifying session after fan backlash, and an increase in the points offered to encourage drivers to push harder.
That didn’t stop some criticism of the sprints from riders, including world champion Max Verstappen, who felt most were unwilling to take risks for fear of losing order and ruining their position. starting point for Sunday’s race.
But Interlagos proved to be the most thrilling sprint race yet with incidents and overtaking throughout the field, putting on a thrilling race on Sunday where George Russell took his first F1 victory.
Autosport revealed over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend that Baku and Spa were both lined up to stage a sprint after it was agreed in September that there would be six 100km sprints in 2023, against three this year.
On Wednesday, F1 officially confirmed the six sprint locations for 2023, which are:
- Azerbaijan – Baku Street Circuit (April 30)
- Austria – Red Bull Ring (July 2)
- Belgium – Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (July 30)
- Qatar – Losail International Circuit (October 8)
- USA – Circuit of the Americas (October 22)
- Brazil – Interlagos (November 5)
Baku, Spa, Losail and Austin will host a sprint race for the first time since the format was introduced in 2021.
The Red Bull Ring hosted its first sprint this year, while Interlagos has been one of the most successful sprint tracks in its events in 2021 and 2022.
Imola was dropped from the sprint list after staging its first in April, while Qatar gets the green light for a race on Saturday when it returns to the F1 calendar. Qatar pulled out 2022 so they could focus on the FIFA World Cup, but return in 2023 to start a 10-year contract.
“We have seen an overwhelmingly positive reaction to F1 Sprint events in the first two years of its operation, and we look forward to bringing even more fan action with six events next year, including our first US F1 Sprint in Austin,” said Stefano Domenicali, CEO and President of F1.
“The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment for fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders, including teams. , broadcasters, partners and host sites.”
George Russell, Mercedes W13, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, at the Sprint grid
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
F1 is known to be considering adjustments to the format of sprint races in the future, including the possible move to making them stand-alone events that don’t impact the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
But the format will remain unchanged in 2023, awarding points to the top eight and the result setting the final starting grid for the grand prix.
Significant changes have been made for this year, including awarding pole position to whoever topped Friday’s qualifying session after fan backlash, and an increase in the points offered to encourage drivers to push harder.
That didn’t stop some criticism of the sprints from riders, including world champion Max Verstappen, who felt most were unwilling to take risks for fear of losing order and ruining their position. starting point for Sunday’s race.
But Interlagos proved to be the most thrilling sprint race yet with incidents and overtaking throughout the field, putting on a thrilling race on Sunday where George Russell took his first F1 victory.