Exploring the F1 sprint format at the Belgian Grand Prix

The 2023 F1 Belgian GP will host the third Sprint weekend of six of the 2023 season at the Spa-Francorchamps track this weekend.

The track is one of the most iconic in the world of motorsport. It comprises corners such as Eau Rouge, Radillion, La Source, and Poulon, which are legendary in their own rights. It is the longest circuit on the F1 calendar with over 7.007km in distance and is known for its long straights and high-speed corners.

Just like every other Sprint race weekend, the format will have one Practice session followed by qualifying for the main race on Friday. The Sprint Shootout and the Sprint will be on Saturday and the main race will retain its marquee sport on Sunday.

The Qualifying on Friday will set the grid for the main race and will have no bearings on the Sprint. The Sprint Shootout will set the grid for the 24-lap Sprint race.

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Can Charles Leclerc repeat his Qualifying heroics in the F1 Sprint Shootout?

The Ferrari F1 driver will start Sunday's Belgian GP main race in pole position. This is despite Leclerc finishing eight-tenths behind Red Bull driver and two-time world champion Max Verstappen in the Qualifying session on Friday.

The Dutch driver received a five-place penalty for changing his gearbox for the fifth time this season.

Speaking in his post-quali interview, Charles Leclerc said:

"It was not a bad Qualifying for us, and especially in these conditions, it is always tricky to put everything together. I put in a lot of work in these conditions as I wasn't really comfortable a few races ago and it really seems to have paid off. We went a bit too early for that last run, but pole was definitely not for us today, as Max was too quick."

Explaining how tough the Qualifying was on the final lap and admitting that they still need to do a lot of work to catch up to Red Bull, Leclerc said:

"We could have been a bit closer, but having said that, we have a great starting position for Sunday, so let's see how it goes. It was really tricky, and Kevin [Magnussen] went into the wall on front of me, so I didn't put a lap in early and then you've got all the pressure on that last lap that you need to do in those conditions."

He added:

"It wasn't easy but at the end, everything went well. Having said that, there's still quite a bit of work to do in order to catch the Red Bulls."

It will be interesting to see if the Ferrari F1 driver can beat Verstappen outright in the Sprint Shootout on Saturday without the latter's penalties.