Formula 1 has announced the adjustment for the regulation of the six Sprint races that will take place throughout the course of the 2023 starting this weekend in Baku.
The major change is that the Sprint race will become a standalone event with no effect on the starting grid for Sunday’s race how it used to be.
The grid for Sunday will be determined by a standard qualifying held on Friday, whereas the grid for the Sprint will be determined by a special shortened qualifying session, held on Saturday with the name “Sprint Shootout”.
In the shootout the first phase will be 12 minutes, the second -10 and the final -8, as opposed to 18, 15 and 12 in normal qualifying.
The purpose is to make drivers push flat out and not preserve their position in fear they might falter for the race as it has happened in the past.
Points for the Sprint remain the same, as the winner gets rewarded with 8, while the others get one less points respectively to P8.
Sprint races will be held at Baku, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, the United States and Brazil.