The revised Formula 1 Sprint returns for the 1st time in 2024, with qualifying set for Friday at Shanghai International Circuit in China.
The first of six F1 Sprint weekends on the Formula 1 calendar arrives in conjunction with the Chinese Grand Prix. Formula 1 drivers get one practice session earlier on Friday before qualifying for the F1 Sprint, which has some slight tweaks for 2024. For starters, the name — F1 Sprint — is new. The bigger shift, however, came in the decision to move qualifying from Saturday to Friday. That moves qualifying for the Grand Prix to Saturday after the F1 Sprint, a decision deemed “logical” by three-time defending world champion Max Verstappen. The Red Bull standout topped the podium in three of the first four races in 2024, but hasn’t won in China, where the circuit last visited in 2019.
How to Watch Chinese Grand Prix, Sprint Qualifying, in Formula 1 Today:
Date: April 19, 2024
Time: 3:25 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Live stream Sprint Qualifying for the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
The F1 Sprint provides drivers with an opportunity for extra points in the standings. The top eight finishers receive championship points descending from eight for winning the short race to one for an eighth-place finish. Qualifying was also renamed — it became Sprint Qualifying rather than the Sprint Shootout.
Shanghai International Circuit’s layout is unique. Designed to resemble the Mandarin symbol for “shang,” or “upwards,” the run begins with drivers flying into Turns 1 and 2 before a sharp left into the next two turns. The course also features one of the longest straights in Formula 1, three-quarters of a mile, between Turns 13 and 14.
Verstappen won four of the six springs last season, with Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri topping the podium for the others. Fifteen drivers across nine teams claimed Sprint points in 2023, with only Alfa Romeo being shut out.
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