Formula 1 has announced there will be six sprint races on the 2023 calendar, which is double the number that took place during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
The sprints are set to be hosted in Azerbaijan (Baku City Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Lusail Circuit), the United States (Circuit of The Americas) and Sao Paulo (Interlagos).
The Red Bull Ring in Austria held its first sprint in July 2022 and will return for a second in 2023. Imola, in Emilia-Romagna in Italy, has been excluded after hosting its debut sprint in April, while Qatar returns to the calendar after taking a year off due to the World Cup.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali shared his excitement about the upcoming sprints. "We have seen a hugely positive reaction to the F1 Sprint events during the first two years of its running, and we can’t wait to bring even more action to fans with six events next year, including our first US F1 Sprint in Austin," he said.
What is an F1 sprint race?
The sprint race, introduced in the 2021 season, is a 100km race to the finish with drivers not required to make any pit stops.
For 2023 though, tweaks have been made to the format. This season, weekends that include sprint races will be made up by the following format.
Fridays will include an FP1 session and standard qualifying session which will set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while Saturdays will include the continuing 100km race with an additional, preceding qualifying session called the ‘Sprint Shootout’.
Drivers can earn championship points in the shortened race. The winner receives eight points, while the eighth-placed driver gets just one.
F1 2023 sprint race schedule
| Date | Circuit | Country |
|
April 28-30 |
Baku City Circuit | Azerbaijan |
| June 30-July 2 | Red Bull Ring | Austria |
| July 28-30 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Belgium |
| October 6-8 | Losail International Circuit | Qatar |
| October 22 | Circuit of The Americas | USA |
| November 3-5 | Interlagos | Brazil |
MORE: Who holds the record for most points in an F1 season? Here are the top five
Who has won the most F1 sprint races?
Unsurprisingly, two-time world champion Max Verstappen leads the way in sprint races with three first-place finishes. He won the debut sprint back in 2021 at Silverstone and had to battle hard with Lewis Hamilton. His other two sprint victories came in the 2022 season at Imola and the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Valtteri Bottas has also enjoyed the sprint format as he has finished ahead of Verstappen twice, at both Monza and Brazil.
George Russell became the latest to pick up a sprint victory when he claimed top spot in Brazil last month. Russell went on to win the Grand Prix, which was the first of his career and Mercedes' only win of the 2022 season.
The sprint in Interlagos where Russell claimed his maiden win proved to be the most exciting to date and as a result saw plenty of fans ask for more on social media.