MARCH 14, 2021

Teams agree to three sprint races

The ten Formula One teams have agreed to run three Sprint Races this year, in Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos, during a pre-test meeting chaired by new Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali. The format, which still has to be finalized, to be voted before the start of the season, means Friday running will include just one Free Practice Session lasting one hour, before qualifying – run in the current format – is held in the afternoon.

The ten Formula One teams have agreed to run three Sprint Races this year, in Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos, during a pre-test meeting chaired by new Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali. The format, which still has to be finalized, to be voted before the start of the season, means Friday running will include just one Free Practice Session lasting one hour, before qualifying – run in the current format – is held in the afternoon.

The drivers will then have, on Saturday afternoon, a short race, probably one third of a full race distance, with the grid based on the qualifying results, but it was decided to name this session as Super Qualifying, to avoid diminishing the impact of the main race on Sunday. To avoid further confusion, there will be no podium ceremony at the end of this Sprint Race, and the drivers will line up for Sunday’s Grand Prix in the order they’d finished the Saturday event. Much to the disappointment of the smaller teams, only the top three finishers of the Super Qualifying will score points, but the full format will only be decided in the next couple of days.