'10 sprint weekends': F1 owners Liberty Media target a further increase for the new format 

F1 owners Liberty Media are targeting 10 sprint weekends by 2024. The sport recently debuted a revised sprint format at the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, reportedly convincing the sport's owners to commit to the new format.

Baku's revised sprint weekend saw a separate qualifying session solely for the shortened race, meaning that the sprint race results would no longer set the grid on Sunday. The new format seems to have wooed the folks at Liberty Media, who are reportedly going to increase the number from six to 10 in 2024.

Venues that have agreed to host the sprint races are committed to paying more than those with the traditional format. Hence, it is still unclear which venues will secure the sprint deal next year.

An insider said about F1's plans, as quoted by Motorsport.com:

"There is a risk of saturation. Today, we don't have the tools to prove it but there are other sports that have made this mistake. Formula 1 must remain an event, as the Champions League is in football, and not like the national championships that now offer something almost every day, taking away a bit the taste for exclusivity."

Audi F1 aggressively recruiting from rival teams

According to reports, Audi's F1 team is actively recruiting crucial technical personnel from rival teams, having already secured 50 experts, some of whom were previously employed by competing teams.

The team's ultimate goal is to smoothly transition to the top level of single-seater racing by 2026 when the new engine regulations take effect. However, Audi is facing significant challenges primarily due to its location.

The team's headquarters are in Neuberg, Germany, but only three of the ten current teams are based in the same region.

This puts Audi at a disadvantage in terms of accessing the majority of the technical talent pool, which is mainly concentrated in and around the United Kingdom. Apart from Ferrari, all the other major F1 teams, including Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren, are located in the UK.

However, CEO Adam Baker has expressed absolutely no concerns regarding the matter, claiming the team already has a strong foundation in place. Speaking to PlanetF1.com, Baker said:

“Regarding recruitment, what we need to recognize is the Formula 1 project for Audi Sport here in Neuburg, it’s an important transformation project. This means we benefited from taking around 200 highly qualified staff over from within Audi Sport into Formula 1. So this is obviously a huge boost for our ramp-up phase."

It will be interesting to follow Audi's progress as they prepare for their entry into the sport in 2026.