How Formula One Sprint will be contested in China

The Chinese Grand Prix will see Formula One's first Sprint weekend of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit.

The Sprint format was introduced in 2021 and designed to provide a shorter race before the Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 100-kilometer Sprint race yields eight points for the winner, with a sliding scale to one point for the driver who finishes eighth.

The weekend structure has been revised to include a sole one-hour free practice session Friday, followed by the Sprint Shootout, which sets the grid for the 100K Sprint race.

The Sprint Shootout remains unchanged compared to 2023, with tire compounds being mandated for each of the three segments of the session, unlike qualifying for the Grand Prix.

The medium tire is compulsory in the first two parts, with the grippier, less durable soft tire available for the final section of qualifying for the Sprint.

The Sprint Shootout is made up of shorter sessions than the usual format. Twelve minutes are available for SQ1, with the top 15 drivers advancing. 

The second session is shorter again at 10 minutes as the top-10 quickest drivers move into the final part of the session to set the grid for the Sprint.

The format has divided opinions among the drivers, with some enjoying the challenge of fewer practice sessions with others feeling disadvantaged.

American Logan Sargeant said previously he prefers to have more practice sessions.

“For me, it’s not preferred," he said, per racefans,net. "As a rookie, it’s nice to have three practice sessions. But on top of that, I just feel like Saturday is a bit of a standalone day that doesn’t offer a whole lot...if you’re not in the top eight. So I prefer a normal weekend.”

Meanwhile, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas said he enjoys having to hit the ground running on a race weekend.

“Always I’ve never been a big fan of three practice sessions," he said, per racefans.net. "I prefer to have one and then straight to action. So that’s the nice side of sprint weekend.”

The 10 teams will have more flexibility when setting up their cars during sprint weekends, which is particularly important in China, a track not raced on by F1 since 2019 because of COVID restrictions.

The setup for qualifying and the Grand Prix can be influenced by data gathered from the Sprint. Previously, cars were under parc ferme conditions and unable to make major setup changes from the start of the Sprint Shootout.

The Sprint weekend will run at six rounds of the F1 world championship. After China, the format will return in Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil and Qatar.