F1 news: Iconic circuit added to F1 sprint race calendar in SIX track shortlist

F1 will maintain six Sprint race weekends for the 2025 season, and has revealed which six tracks will host the shorter Saturday races.

Since being introduced for the 2021 F1 season, the championship has held several weekends using the format every season since – increasing the number to six as of the 2024 season.

F1 announces six Sprint venues for 2025

Tweaks were made to the Sprint format to create a standalone event for this year, with Sprint Qualifying held on Friday evening to determine the grid for the Sprint on Saturday.

The finishing order of the Sprint no longer has any impact on the Grand Prix itself, with the teams able to set up their cars anew for the normal qualifying session on Saturday evening before the Grand Prix itself on Sunday.

With no changes mooted for the Sprint format for 2025, the six venues for next year have been confirmed by F1. The sole difference from 2024 is the removal of Austria from the Sprint rotation and, instead, the Belgian Grand Prix will host a Sprint.

The first Sprint will take place over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, with two of the three US races also hosting a Sprint – Miami and Austin.

Along with the introduction of Belgium, Brazil, and Qatar will host the final two Sprint races of the season.

China and Miami host Sprints for the second consecutive year after being awarded the format in 2024, while Austin and Qatar will hold their third Sprints. Belgium hosted a Sprint in 2023, while Sao Paulo has held the Sprint every season since 2021.

Part of the push for increased Sprint weekends is due to higher live audience figures across the weekend. Citing 2024 figures, F1 say the figures for the Sprint Qualifying and Sprint race in China were up some 40 percent across the top 15 markets compared to the average practice sessions from the first two rounds – Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The Sprint in Miami claimed just under 1 million viewers on ESPN, making it the largest US audience for a Sprint since the format’s introduction, while the Austria Sprint Qualifying’s live viewership was 76 percent higher relative to the FP2 sessions from the previous two European rounds.

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While the number of Sprints hasn’t been increased, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has hinted the weekend format – introduced under Liberty Media’s ownership – could be rolled out at more race weekends in the future.

“Why not? Why not?” he told Sky F1 after the Chinese GP Sprint earlier this year.

“I would say this is great because it keeps the tension on every day.”

“This is something that we’ll discuss in the future. Now, let’s say, let’s see how this year with the Sprint with the way that we have and see how we go.

“But that’s a point of discussion, for sure.”

Welcoming the news of the six Sprint races for 2025, Domenicali said the format has brought an entirely new element to the championship without diluting its history.

“The Sprint has been a great success for Formula 1, bringing all our fans more action and racing on the track,” he said.

“We are seeing the proof of this in our audience data, fan attendance on Fridays, and from the promoters and partners.

“As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2025 we will always honour our incredible history, but we must always be looking ahead, innovating, and improving to deliver the best for our growing and diverse fanbase.

“The Sprint is a great example of bringing new elements to our sport in a way that is respectful of the Championship, and I want to thank the six venues that will host the Sprint in 2025 and look forward to those incredible events throughout the season.”

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was similarly enthused about the confirmation, saying: “As the FIA Formula One World Championship celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, the Sprint will also enter its fifth year as part of the competition.

“Over that time, and through our strong collaboration with Formula 1 and with the input of all the teams, it has been through several different iterations and the regulations and format have evolved to give us the exciting and popular Sprints we have today.

“The six events for 2025 once again take in an interesting range of circuits and are sure to provide fans with plenty of additional action across the season.”

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