Formula 1 announces venues for six F1 Sprint events in 2023
Formula One has announced the six locations it has chosen to hold sprint races during the 2023 season as the number of events doubles next season from three in 2022.
F1 first experimented with the sprint race format at three rounds in 2021 when Silverstone, Monza and Sao Paulo held a 100km dash. While many expressed their doubts about the success of the new format at its debut, the sprint event was praised for increasing the level of excitement across the race weekend. As a result of it, the sprint format took place at further three events across the 2022 season.
The sport has now announced that it will double the number of sprint events from three to six in 2023 with four new venues joining the group of locations that hold sprint races.
The six sprint event venues will be: Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku (30 April), Austrian Grand Prix - Red Bull Ring (2 July), Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps (30 July), Qatar Grand Prix - Losail (8 October), United States Grand Prix - Austin (22 October) and Sao Paulo Grand Prix - Interlagos (5 November).
While F1 made some tweaks to the format for 2022 by increasing the amount of points awarded, no further changes will be made to the format for next season,
BREAKING: F1 Sprint venues confirmed for 2023!
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 7, 2022
Sprint is heading to Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin and Brazil#F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/TKzKnnjNhf
Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali commented: “We have seen a hugely positive reaction to the F1 Sprint events during the first two years of its running, and we can’t wait to bring even more action to fans with six events next year, including our first US F1 Sprint in Austin,” he said.
“The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment to fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders including teams, broadcasters, partners, and host venues.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA added: “Following strong collaboration between the FIA and FOM, and the approval of the World Motor Sport Council, we are pleased to reveal the six events for Sprints for the 2023 season. We look forward to this exciting addition to the calendar.”
