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F1 Grand Prix schedule

In the above F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 schedule, I cannot understand what Sprint and Sprint Shootout mean.

Is this kind of practice or qualifier?

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As of 2023, the F1 "sprint race weekends" are effectively two entirely separate races:

  • The sprint race, which takes place on the Saturday of the race weekend. This is a short race (100km) with 8 points available for the winner, 7 for second place and so on down to 1 point for 8th place.
    • The grid for this race is set by the "sprint shootout" session earlier on the Saturday.
  • The main race, which takes place on the Sunday. This is a full length race (305km) with up to 26 points available for the winner.
    • The grid for this race is set by the qualifying session on the Friday.

This is a significant change from the sprint format used in 2021/22, where the sprint race set the grid for the main race (and gave 3-2-1 points for the first three places). The change was made on 25th April 2023, just five days before the first sprint race of the 2023 season in Azerbaijan, in response to criticisms of the 2021/22 sprint format (source: BBC News).

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From the 2021 season, the F1 introduced a new format. They introduced Sprint which set the grid for the main race.

In the 3 days of F1 event weekend from Friday to Sunday the old schedule (2021 and 20220 are as follows:

  • Friday: Practice One, Qualifying
  • Saturday: Practice Two, Sprint Race
  • Sunday: Grand Prix

From the 2023 season, the F1 introduced another new format.

Fhe Friday schedule remains unchanged. The Sprint shootout are held in saturday from 2023.

The new weekend schedule are as follows:

  • Friday: Practice, Qualifying
  • Saturday: Sprint Shootout, Sprint race
  • Sunday: Grand Prix

The sprint shootout will set the grid for the sprint race itself.

Reference:

  1. https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/36280380/f1-adds-sprint-shootout-qualifying-event-sprint-weekends

  2. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/36288097/what-sprint-shootout-f1-new-sprint-race-weekend-format-explained

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  • So what is a sprint shootout? Repeating the name of something doesn't tell me anything about what it actually is.
    – Philip Kendall ♦
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 9:17
  • @PhilipKendall The sprint shootout set the grid for the sprint race, and the sprint set the grid for the main race. Is it clear now?
    – user67275
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 15:08
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    That directly contradicts what is written in the first link you posted: "The starting grid of Sunday's grand prix [...] will be determined by the standard qualifying session on Friday."
    – Philip Kendall ♦
    Commented Apr 30, 2023 at 15:13

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