2025 F1 season to have 6 sprint events: All you need to know 

F1 and FIA have announced the sprint calendar for the 2025 Formula 1 season. It will feature six races throughout the season, and Belgium is set to replace Austria.

The sprint races were introduced in the 2021 season and although their format has largely changed, they continue to spike the same excitement from fans. The current season has six sprints, and this scheme is repeated for the 2025 season as well.

2025, F1's 75th anniversary, will feature a sprint race on the following tracks:

Date	Country	Track
March 21-23	China	Shanghai
May 2-4	USA	Miami
July 25-27	Belgium	Spa-Francorchamps
October 17-19	USA	Austin
November 7-9	Brazil	Sao Paulo
November 28-30	Qatar	Lusail

While the traditional race weekends in Formula 1 feature three free practice sessions, one qualifying and the main race, a sprint weekend differs largely.

On Friday, there is just one free practice session. Drivers are required to gather the maximum data from the car and teams set it up accordingly. This is followed by the Sprint Qualifying later on the same day, which sets the grid for the Sprint race.

Saturday marks for the Sprint race, followed by qualifying for the main race on Sunday.

Sprint weekends witness a lot more action than traditional weekends because of the competitive challenges throughout the weekend. The top eight drivers are awarded points, the winner getting 8, through to the driver finishing in P8 gaining one.

---

F1 CEO claims Sprint weekends bring more fan engagement to the races

Although a large part of the sport's fanbase seems to support the idea of sprint weekends, some seem to debate it. Fans have claimed that drivers do not get enough time to gather data from just one practice session.

However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has maintained that the Sprint weekends bring in more engagement during the races. He said (via F1.com):

"The Sprint has been a great success for Formula 1, bringing all our fans more action and racing on the track. We are seeing the proof of this in our audience data, fan attendance on Fridays and from the promoters and partners."

"As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2025 we will always celebrate our incredible history, but we must always be looking ahead, innovating and improving to deliver the best for our growing and diverse fanbase," he added.

Sprint weekends bring great challenges for the drivers. With just one FP session, teams are expected to set the car up as perfectly as they can. However, the lack of sessions can also backfire as weather changes might turn out to play a major role in a race. All this becomes a part of the competition.