Two F1 Sprints for U.S. in 2025, amid one change

There will be two Formula 1 Sprint race weekends held in the United States again in 2025, as Belgium takes over from Austria as the only change on the schedule compared to this season. Miami held a Sprint for the first time in 2024 and retains that format for next year, following on from China that will host the opening sprint of the season. Austria hosted one this year but will gave way to Spa-Francorchamps in 2025, with the Belgian Grand Prix also having previously hosted Sprint events. The total number of Sprint weekends remains at six, with the U.S. GP in Austin, Sao Paulo GP at Interlagos and Qatar GP in Losail ensuring another busy end to the season with three of the final six rounds featuring the format. The format itself remains unchanged compared to the current schedule that features Sprint qualifying on a Friday in place of FP2, the Sprint first on a Saturday before main qualifying in its usual slot that same afternoon and the grand prix on Sunday. Formula 1 has noted significant television and social media uplift from the additional competitive sessions compared to Friday practice, with live audience figures for Sprint qualifying and the Sprint itself in China up “40% across the top 15 markets compared to the average practice sessions for the opening two races,” and Miami’s Sprint pulling in 946,000 viewers on ESPN. “The Sprint has been a great success for Formula 1, bringing all our fans more action and racing on the track,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said. “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 honor our incredible history, but we must always be looking ahead, innovating, and improving to deliver the best for our growing and diverse fanbase. “The Sprint is a great example of bringing new elements to our sport in a way that is respectful of the championship, and I want to thank the six venues that will host the Sprint in 2025 and look forward to those incredible events throughout the season.” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem also says the current Sprint format is an example of how the governing body and F1 have worked together to make adjustments based on fan and stakeholder feedback. “As the FIA Formula 1 World Championship celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, the Sprint will also enter its fifth year as part of the competition,” Ben Sulayem said. “Over that time, and through our strong collaboration with Formula 1 and with the input of all the teams, it has been through several different iterations and the regulations and format have evolved to give us the exciting and popular Sprints we have today. “The six events for 2025 once again take in an interesting range of circuits and are sure to provide fans with plenty of additional action across the season.”