(MENAFN- The Peninsula) chinthana wasala |
The Peninsula
Qatar's Losail International Circuit will make its return to the Formula 1 calendar when the popular racetrack hosts the October 6-8 Grand Prix which includes one of the six F1 Sprint races planned for the 2023 season, the sport's governing body announced yesterday.
According to the 2023 calendar, Sprint races will be held in Azerbaijan (Baku City Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Losail), the United States (Circuit of The Americas) and Sao Paulo (Interlagos).
The 5.38km-long Losail International Circuit made its debut in the formula 1 calendar in 2021 but skipped the 2022 season due to renovations.
Azerbaijan's Baku City circuit will host the first sprint during the race weekend from April 28-30, and will be followed by the Austrian race at Spielberg from June 30 to July 2, Spa from July 28-30 before the Qatar race. Austin will host the US race on Oct. 20-22 before the last of six sprints in Brazil during the Nov. 3-5 Grand Prix.
Just like Qatar and Baku, Spa and Austin will also host the sprints for the first time.
The Formula 1 Sprint sees the standard one-hour qualifying session shifted to Friday, setting the grid for a 100-kilometre dash on Saturday, which sets the starting order for Sunday's Grand Prix. Sao Paulo's Interlagos Circuit and Austria's Red Bull Ring hosted the sprint races last season, while Silverstone, Monza and Imola are the other venues to have hosted the Sprints in the past.
Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali welcomed the increase from three to six events for next year.
“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.”
Sprint sessions were introduced to F1 in 2021 and proved a popular addition to the usual weekend format, with qualifying shifting to Friday and an extra 100km race slotting into Saturday's schedule to set the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.