Your comprehensive guide to the Formula 1 Sprint weekend format for the upcoming 2026 season. The 2026 season will feature six Sprint weekends: Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, and the returning British Grand Prix, in addition to two other events. The introduction of the Sprint format in 2021 aimed to boost excitement at select tracks known for overtaking, while ensuring engaging track sessions for fans across all three days of the race weekend. Initially limited to three venues per season, the format expanded to six from 2023.
These weekends have a revised schedule, featuring a qualifying session on Friday for the Sprint, followed by a 100km race on Saturday that offers crucial additional world championship points. The order of events for Sprint weekends is as follows: Friday Practice One, Sprint Qualifying, Saturday Sprint, Grand Prix Qualifying, and Sunday's Grand Prix.
Sprint weekends commence with a one-hour free practice session on Friday. This is followed by Sprint Qualifying later in the day. Saturday's schedule includes the 100km Sprint, with full Qualifying taking place later to determine the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.
For a better video experience, please use the Chrome browser. The Friday session for setting the Sprint grid adheres to the same format as the previous season, with three parts following the knockout rules but with shorter durations to address engine and tire concerns.
Each car is limited to one flying lap in each session, though two runs are permissible in SQ1, and SQ2 and SQ3 allow for two timed laps without a pit stop. A key difference between Sprint Qualifying and full Qualifying is the restriction on tire usage in the former.
Drivers can only use one set of tires in each part of Sprint Qualifying. A new set of medium tires is required in SQ1 and SQ2, while SQ3 mandates a set of soft tires, which can be new or used. The points system for the Sprint remains unchanged in 2026, with a total of 36 points available for the top eight finishers. The allocation is as follows: Given the short duration of the Sprint, pit stops are rare.
Unlike the Grand Prix, there's no mandatory tire change, and unless there's damage, a puncture, or rain, cars typically don't pit during the Sprint. Drivers have the freedom to choose any tire compound for the Sprint. With the current Sprint schedule, teams have an additional opportunity to make setup changes to their cars over the weekend. Although cars enter parc ferme at the start of Friday's Sprint Qualifying, they are released after Saturday's Sprint, allowing teams to adjust setups based on the knowledge gained before full Qualifying, after which they are locked in for Sunday's race.
The Formula 1 season resumes with the Miami Grand Prix, the second Sprint weekend of the season, live on Sky Sports F1. You can stream Sky Sports with NOW, with no contract and the option to cancel at any time.