Formula 1 has unveiled the six venues that will host sprint races in the 2026 season, adding excitement to the weekend schedule. Among the new additions are Silverstone, Zandvoort, and Montreal, marking a significant change in the 2026 calendar.
New Sprint Venues for 2026 Season
The British Grand Prix, which hosted the first-ever sprint race in 2021, will feature the sprint format again in 2026. Alongside Silverstone, Zandvoort will host a sprint race for its final appearance as the Dutch Grand Prix, following the expiry of their contract.
Montreal’s Canadian Grand Prix also joins the sprint schedule in 2026, with the race moving to a new end-of-May date. The Singapore Grand Prix will also have its first sprint, adding to the variety of locations for this thrilling format.
Changes to Existing Sprint Venues
These new venues replace Belgium, the US GP in Austin, Brazil, and Qatar from the current sprint calendar, while China and Miami retain their slots. F1’s growing sprint race concept, first introduced in 2021, continues to expand with a surge in fan interest.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali spoke about the success of the sprint format: “The F1 Sprint has continued to grow in positive impact and popularity since it was introduced in 2021. We’re excited about the new venues, adding to the drama on track.”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “The Sprint format has become an increasingly exciting part of F1, delivering high-intensity racing and added entertainment for fans around the world.”
The sprint race format has evolved since its introduction, with more action-packed weekends featuring four competitive sessions. These races continue to attract more viewers, with 2024 sprint weekends showing a 10% increase in TV viewership compared to non-sprint weekends.
For the 2027 season, F1 plans to raise the number of sprint races to around 10, with discussions on further refining the format, including the idea of reverse grids.
Max Verstappen, the most successful driver in sprint history, has won 12 of the 20 sprints held to date, further cementing the format’s growing impact on F1’s thrilling race weekends.
Stay tuned for all the latest Sports News, follow SportsNewsTime on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram