The Chinese Grand Prix is the first of six sprint race weekends of the 2024 F1 calendar; the others being in Miami, Austria, the United States (COTA),Brazil, Qatar. Therefore, the schedule of this weekend is slightly different to the format of a regular weekend. With the sprint weekend format changing slightly as the FIA trail what works and what doesn’t, it can be confusing to know when each session is, and what it matters for. So, how does the sprint race weekend work?
FRIDAY:
Starting the weekend off, on Friday there will be the first and only practice session of the weekend. This practice session is the exact same as a normal race weekend, where drivers get one hour to become familiar to the track. However, there will be no Practice 2 or 3, so drivers have to use this session valuably, to learn they layout of the track, and collect data for their teams to use later in the weekend.
Following the Practice session, the drivers will take part in the sprint shootout. This follows a somewhat similar format to the regular qualifying sessions, however the times are slightly reduced. The first SQ1 session lasts for 12 minutes, before the bottom 5 drivers drop out and are eliminated. SQ2 lasts 10 minutes, and then the slowest 5 also drop out, leaving only the top 10 left in SQ1. This session lasts for 8 minutes and drivers aim to get pole position. This sprint qualifying session sets the grid for the sprint race which takes place the following day. The FIA also select specific tires that drivers must use throughout each session. During SQ1 and SQ2, drivers must use medium tires. Soft compoud tryes must be used during SQ3. This has caused quite an uproar from some teams, claiming that lower-down teams have less of a chance to set faster laps, and progress into the next SQ session, due to having slower tires.
SATURDAY:
On Saturday, the sprint race takes place. This is an almost stand alone race, meaning that it doesn’t affect anything else that goes on in the race weekend. This race is roughly 1/3 of the distance of the full race on Sunday. In the case of the Chinese Grand Prix, this lasts 19 laps. Furthermore, there will be no mandatory pit stops, meaning cars don’t need to pit or change their tire compounds. Points are rewarded for the top 8 finishing drivers in the sprint race. However, no points are rewarded for the fastest lap. Points are allocated as such:
Later in the day, a regular qualifying session takes place, which will set the grid formation for the full distance race for Sunday. This qualifying session is no different to qualifying that would happen on a normal race weekend.
SUNDAY:
Sunday is the simplest day of the sprint race weekend, where nothing changes and remains the same; this race requires at least 1 change of compound throughout, points are awarded for the top 10 drivers (+1 for fastest lap if they are in the top 10) and will last a full race distance.
The change in format can be very confusing, and often leaves F1 fans questioning if this change is necessary, or whether the traditional schedule is fine as it is. The six sprint races this year have the potential to sway the minds of fans, so it’s important to understand the scheduling for them.
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