F1 Sprint Race: How this shorter format works and what makes it unique

The weather is nice, and the F1 drivers have flown into China to once again get into their supercars for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Shanghai International Circuit is also the venue for the season’s first much-anticipated Sprint, alongside the regular Sunday race. The high-intensity 100 km race format has become increasingly popular among fans. The Qualifying Sprint on Friday will be followed by the Sprint final on Saturday at 11 am. Here is all you need to know about how this format works.
With the audience becoming more restless and shorter versions of games taking over, like the 50-over cricket match evolving into the more common T20 format, Formula 1 introduced the shorter format in 2021.
As opposed to the main Sunday race, which requires the driver to cover 305 km and has multiple laps, the Sprint is a shorter format extending to 100 km. It’s like a simpler, faster-paced version, much like a free practice session.
There are three sessions in Sprint qualifying, which take place on Friday after just one practice session. The five slowest cars are eliminated in the first two qualifying sessions. The sessions, named SQ1, SQ2, and SQ3, are of 12, 10, and 8 minutes, respectively. These sessions make up the 100 km grid for the Sprint race.

The point system in the Sprint format is slightly different from the Sunday race version, as only the top eight finishers are eligible for points. The winning driver is awarded 8 points, the second driver gets 7 points, and the third one gets 6 points. Similarly, the driver in the fourth position gets 5 points, the fifth driver gets 4 points, the sixth one earns 3 points, the seventh spot gets 2 points, and the driver in the eighth position gets 1 point.
The Chinese Grand Prix has the Qualifying Sprint on Friday, March 21, followed by the final Sprint race on Saturday, March 22. The Chinese Grand Prix is the second race of the season after the rain-hit season opener, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last week.
Also Read: Chinese Grand Prix: Top 5 interesting and fun facts to know ahead of the race
It is worth noting that all eyes are on China as it is the first of the six Sprint races planned for this season. The other Sprint races are scheduled to take place at the Miami Grand Prix (May 2-4), the Belgian Grand Prix (July 25-27), the United States Grand Prix in Austin (October 17-19), the Sao Paulo Grand Prix (November 7-9), and the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail (November 28-30).