Number of Sprint Events in Formula is to Double in 2023

The plan is to increase revenue and television audiences for Formula One

A list of 6 venues was agreed upon after studying which circuits and events would be most appropriate and negotiations about business arrangements with the race organisers of the venues in question.

The F1 believes that sprint events will boost income and television audiences, therefore the number of sprint events will double in 2023.

The events will follow the same structure as the sprint weekends that occurred this year in the 2022 season.

The sprint event will be a short race set on the Saturday the day before the main race and the top 8 finishes will earn points and it will define the starting grid for the grand prix race the next day.

Standard qualifying, which usually takes place on Saturday, is rescheduled to Friday afternoon to set the grid for the sprint.

The first sprint will take place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan, on April 28–30. Depending on whether F1 replaces the cancelled Chinese Grand Prix, this race will either be the third or fourth of the season.

The Dates and Venues for the F1 Sprint Venues in 2023:

Formula One has been spending a bit of time in analysing which venues would be most suitable for sprint competitions and had aimed their sights on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix which is the 2nd race on the F1 calendar, but officials in charge of the event in Saudi turned it down because how much was being asked to host the sprint event.

When it comes to the benefits there was an F1 announcement about the six sprint races, stating that the Austrian sprint race saw a 39% increase in spectators in 2022 compared to qualifying at the same race the previous year.

In order to guarantee competitive on-track action for all three days of the chosen Grand Prix weekends, the 2023 selection was made after research into the most format-appropriate courses, taking into account overtaking possibilities, close racing, and high-speed sectors.

Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive officer of Formula 1, welcomed the switch from three in 2022 to six events to 2023.

Stefano Domenicali has stated recently “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,”

“The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment to fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders including teams, broadcasters, partners, and host venues.”

The FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added to this: “Following strong collaboration between the FIA and FOM, and the approval of the World Motor Sport Council, we are pleased to reveal the six events for Sprints for the 2023 season. We look forward to this exciting addition to the calendar.”