New F1 Sprint weekend format confirmed for Baku

The first of six designated F1 Sprint events this season will take place at this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Formula 1 today confirming a new format for 2023.

The weekend will begin with Free Practice 1 in its conventional format, but it will be the only chance for teams to get to grips with the circuit in a practice environment. As with previous Sprint weekends, Qualifying will once again take place later on Friday but this year, it will set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Saturday will effectively become a Sprint-exclusive day of running, beginning with an all-new Sprint Shootout. Consisting of a 12-minute Q1, 10-minute Q2 and an 8-minute Q3, this condensed session should prove to be very exciting, setting the grid for the Saturday afternoon Sprint race.

New tyres will be mandatory for each phase. Q1 and Q2 will see mediums used, whilst Q3 will be soft tyres only.

The F1 Sprint race will remain unchanged, racing for 100km with no mandatory pit stops. Extra points are once again awarded to the top eight finishers. P1 earns eight points, P2 earns seven, P3 picks up six points and so on down to P8 getting one point.

Sunday’s Grand Prix remains untouched, using Friday’s Qualifying result to determine the starting grid. This means any drama that unfolds in the F1 Sprint will not compromise the rest of a driver's weekend.