What is F1 Sprint? Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to host Sprint Race in 2027

As Yas Marina Circuit in Yas Island prepares for its Sprint debut from 9-12 December 2027, lets take a deeper look into the format.

A Sprint is a shorter race designed to add competitive action to the traditional Grand Prix weekend. Under the current format, the Sprint race is scheduled on Saturday with a separate qualifying round taking place on Friday to decide the driver’s track position for the Sprint.

The qualifying for the Grand Prix is then held on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s main race. Drivers also get points based on their final positions in Sprint race which will also add to drivers' standings for the season.

The Sprint format has only been used in limited racetracks since being introduced in 2021.

However it is not exclusive to F1. Sprint racing has long been used in junior single-seater championships, including Formula 2, where drivers compete in a shorter Sprint before the main Feature Race.

For this year, the Sprint format was scheduled for six races which include China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Singapore. While most of the races have already taken place, the final Sprint is scheduled at Singapore Grand Prix on October 9-11.

Mercedes driver George Russell has three wins to his name this season while his teammate Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris have one each.

This year, Canada and Netherlands hosted their first Sprint weekends along with the scheduled Singapore Grand Prix. Meanwhile, the format returned to the British Grand Prix for the first time since its introduction in 2021. Now fans in Abu Dhabi will also witness the Sprint race for the first time at the Yas Marina Circuit next year.

The Sprint is run over approximately 100km, with no mandatory pit stop. Any driver who enters the box will be ruled out of the Sprint race.

The Qualifying round is divided into three parts with SQ1 being 12 minutes, SQ2 being 10 and SQ3 having only 8 minutes.

Other major difference between a Sprint Qualifying and full Qualifying is that drivers are not allowed to change their set of tyres in Sprint.

A new set of medium tyres is mandatory in SQ1 and SQ2, while a set of soft tyres - new or otherwise - is mandatory in SQ3.