Formula One announces venues for six Sprint events 

Formula One has announced the venues for the Sprint weekends to be held during the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was announced in September 2022 that the upcoming season would have a total of six Sprint events.

Also read: F1: What is Sprint Qualifying and why is it implemented?

Formula One has announced that the upcoming season will see Sprint events held in Azerbaijan (Baku Street Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Losail Circuit), the USA (Circuit of The Americas) and Brazil (Interlagos).

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has also announced that there will be an increase of the “forfeit allowance amount” for each Sprint event, with the amount increasing from US$150,000 to US$300,000 from the upcoming season. 

The Sprint event was introduced during the 2021 season and saw three events across the 2021 and 2022 calendars. The event is a 100km race on Saturdays which decides the starting grid for the Sunday race.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula One, 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. 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.“