Six sprint locations for F1 2023 revealed - including four new venues
On Wednesday morning F1 presented to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) that the six sprint event venues will be:
Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku (30 April)
Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring (2 July)
Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps (30 July)
Qatar Grand Prix - Losail (8 October)
United States Grand Prix - Austin (22 October)
Sao Paulo Grand Prix - Interlagos (5 November)
It will mark the first time that Baku, Spa, Losail and Austin have held a sprint race.
F1 first introduced the sprint race format at three rounds in 2021, with a further three events taking place across the 2022 season.
The shorter 100km Saturday races are used as a way of determining the grid for Sunday’s main grand prix, with the traditional qualifying session - which sets the starting order for the sprint - shifted to Friday evening.
A plan to double the number of sprint events from three to six in F1 2023 was approved by F1 and governing body the FIA earlier this year.
F1 has made some tweaks to the format, such as increasing the amount of points awarded, and is evaluating the possibility of making sprint races standalone events in the future.
No further changes will be made to the format for next season, but background discussions about what could be adapted for the future are ongoing.
Sprint races have divided opinion among fans and drivers, with world champion Max Verstappen being particularly vocal in his criticism.
“I’m just not a big fan of it, because I feel like we don’t really race,” said Verstappen. “OK, there are a few points to get, but you also know that you can’t really risk it because the main race is where you really get the points.
“You don’t do a pit stop so you just put on the tyre that will last the distance. With these cars the racing is probably a little bit better, but overall you don’t really see a lot of overtaking unless there is a car out of position. Everyone has their own opinion but for me it is not that fun.
“I do like having one practice session and then straight to qualifying, I don’t mind that because it’s less practice for everyone to get fully up to speed and then you really need to nail the set-up. But I always feel when I go into a sprint race that you’re not really risking a lot because you want to play safe."
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