Formula 1’s Sprint format returns for 2026 with six short-form races slotted into the 24-round calendar. The season’s first Sprint ran in Shanghai, where George Russell took victory, with Miami next to feature the format in early May.
Six race weekends will operate to the Sprint timetable in 2026: March 13-15 in Shanghai (Chinese Grand Prix), May 1-3 in Miami, May 22-24 in Montreal, July 3-5 at Silverstone, August 21-23 in Zandvoort and October 9-11 in Singapore. The selection spans three continents and injects additional competitive running into the build-up to Sunday’s Grands Prix.
There are notable firsts on the 2026 Sprint roster. Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore will host Sprint weekends for the first time, while Silverstone returns to the Sprint schedule for the first time since 2021.
Introduced in 2021 to add more wheel-to-wheel action at circuits known for overtaking, the Sprint format sets up a 100km race on Saturday with world championship points on offer. It also ensures meaningful sessions on all three days of a Grand Prix weekend.
The weekend order is streamlined. Friday features one hour of free practice followed by Sprint Qualifying; Saturday begins with the 100km Sprint and later hosts full Grand Prix Qualifying; Sunday remains dedicated to the Grand Prix itself.
Sprint Qualifying mirrors the knockout structure of standard qualifying but runs to shorter segments to manage mileage and tyre usage. SQ1 lasts 12 minutes, SQ2 runs for 10 minutes and SQ3 is eight minutes. Drivers typically target a single push lap per phase, but there is time for two attempts in SQ1, and two timed laps are also possible in SQ2 and SQ3 without a pit stop between efforts.
Tyre rules differ from regular qualifying. Only one set of tyres may be used in each SQ phase: a fresh set of mediums is mandatory for SQ1 and SQ2, while soft tyres — new or used — are compulsory in SQ3.
Points for the Sprint remain unchanged for 2026. The top eight finishers score 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, putting a maximum of 36 points up for grabs on Saturday and offering teams and drivers a valuable opportunity to bolster their tallies before Sunday.
Pit stops in the Sprint are rare due to its short distance. There is no mandatory tyre change, and unless weather intervenes or cars pick up damage, teams usually run straight through on the compound of their choice — hard, medium or soft.
Setup rules give teams two windows to tune their cars across the weekend. Parc ferme begins at the start of Friday’s Sprint Qualifying, locking configurations for the Sprint. After Saturday’s Sprint, restrictions are lifted, allowing adjustments ahead of full Grand Prix Qualifying; parc ferme then resumes at the start of that session and remains in force through Sunday’s race.
What to watch next: the Sprint format returns in Miami on May 1-3 before debut appearances at Montreal, Zandvoort and Singapore later in the year. With points on offer and setup flexibility between the Sprint and Grand Prix sessions, strategy calls and tyre choices could prove decisive across each Sprint weekend.
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*Originally published on [News Formula 1](https://newsformula.one/article/f1-sprint-2026-format-schedule-scoring-and-venues-explained). Visit for full coverage.*
