FORMULA ONE is back on our screens and the new season has already brought a huge amount of intrigue and action.
looks to topple off his perch atop the F1 tree, with the Dutchman having won the last four Drivers’ Championships.
Brit driver came close in 2024, with Charles Leclerc not far behind, the pair will also be looking to put pressure on Verstappen.
Luckily for them, there are extra ways to score points in 2025.
Since 2021, a concept called a Sprint race has been introduced to F1, looking to make racing action more gripping for fans.
The race works similarly to a regular Grand Prix, with a winner earning points and drivers racing each other to win the Sprint.
However, it has one distinction to a regular Grand Prix, SunSport has you covered on what a Sprint weekend is in F1.
What is an F1 sprint weekend, and how many are there in a season?
An F1 sprint weekend is similar to a regular weekend, but practice two and practice three are replaced by more racing action for fans.
Practice Two, usually on a Friday, is replaced by Sprint Qualifying.
Practice Three, ordinarily on a Saturday, is replaced by a Sprint race.
There are SIX sprint weekends during the course of the 24-race season.
A Sprint race works similarly to a Grand Prix, in that the fastest out of the 20 drivers wins the race and earns points.
While a usual Grand Prix is approximately 300km, a sprint is only 100km, which usually equates to around 19-20 laps.
It is called a Sprint, as drivers usually just go for as fast as they can for those 20 laps, not using pit stops during the races.
Lewis Hamilton won in China – before .
How many points does a driver earn for winning a sprint race?
- Points scoring is different in a Sprint compared to a race, where a driver would earn 25 points for winning a Grand Prix.
- Moreover, whereas a driver placed between first and tenth would earn at least one point in a normal GP, only drivers first to eighth earn a point in a Sprint.
- Points scoring in a Sprint follows this format
- First – eight points
- Second – seven points
- Third – six points
- Fourth – five points
- Fifth – four points
- Sixth – three points
- Seventh – two points
- Eighth – one point
What F1 weekends will include sprint races?
Round Two – China – Fri, Mar 21
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Round Six – Miami – Sat, May 3
Round 13 – Belgium – Sat, Jul 26
Round 19 – United States – Sat, Oct 18
Round 21 – Brazil – Sat, Nov 8
Round 23 – Qatar – Sat, Nov 29
