Six F1 Sprints are taking place across this year's calendar. Ahead of the first Sprint of the season at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, here's what you can 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.
In 2024, the F1 Sprint evolved, with the structure of Sprint weekends undergoing changes in a bid to freshen up the format.
With the first Sprint of 2025 fast approaching, here's everything you need to know to get you up to speed...
What's the structure of Sprint weekends in 2025?
Taking the same format as last year, the Sprint Shootout takes place following the sole Free Practice session on Friday and determines the grid for the Sprint.
Saturday starts 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 follows the Saturday Sprint, with the Grand Prix taking place on Sunday.
Setup change
The structure of the weekend allows 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.
Prior to 2024, teams were unable to alter or adjust cars from the start of the Sprint Shootout due to parc fermé rules. Now, however, cars are under parc fermé conditions from the start of the Sprint Shootout until the end of the Sprint, after which parc fermé conditions are lifted and changes are permitted before Qualifying on Saturday when parc fermé conditions are applied again throughout the rest of the weekend.
The Shootout
Unlike a standard Qualifying session, tyre compounds are mandated in the Sprint Shootout. 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, 2025 features six F1 Sprint weekends.
The first takes place at Shanghai International Circuit on 21-23 March. The second Sprint of the year comes in May, when Miami International Autodrome will host its second ever Sprint weekend. The Sprint format will then return to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the first time since 2023. The final three Sprints take place at Circuit of the Americas in the United States, Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Brazil and Lusail International Circuit, Qatar.
For the latest updates and unmissable content, stay tuned to this website and @AstonMartinF1 on social.
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