Formula 1 could be about to make one key format change for 2024 season

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The 2023 Formula 1 season may have only just ended, but new details about the 2024 campaign are already being revealed and today an announcement was made on next year’s Sprint Races.

Formula 1 announced the venues that will host the six shortened events today with two tracks debuting the format.

For the first time since 2019, F1 is expected to return to China next year and they will be handed an extra race on that weekend to make up for the lack of recent action in Shanghai.

Formula 1’s attempts to grow its popularity in America will continue with Miami hosting its first Sprint Race as well.

Meanwhile, Austria, Austin, Sao Paulo and Qatar will host the other four events.

There has been some criticism of the format of the weekends that Sprint Races fall on but that could change in 2024.

Currently, qualifying for the main race takes place on Friday instead of a second practice session, with Saturdays essentially dedicated to the Sprint format before Sunday’s main race.

That may be set to change though, although any adjustments might face their own problems as well.

Formula 1 Sprint Races announced for 2024

According to BBC Sport journalist Andrew Benson, he’s confident that a change is coming to how Sprint weekends will play out next year: “China, Miami, Austria, USA, Brazil and Qatar will host the six sprints next year.

“Format change still not confirmed but sprint qualifying pretty certain to move to Friday, followed on Saturday by sprint then Grand Prix qualifying.”

Meanwhile, German publication AMuS has suggested that points could be awarded during the Sprint Shootout – the shorter form of qualifying used to determine the grid for Sprint Races – if they introduce a partial reverse grid.

The idea is to make Sprint Races in 2024 more exciting by forcing some of the faster cars at the back of the grid to force them into overtaking moves.

However, the worry is that teams simply won’t try in qualifying to start at the front of the grid, hence the need to incentivise them with points.

They also admit that the reverse grid idea is likely a long way off right now, but with Formula 1 constantly looking for new ways to attract more fans, it can never be ruled out completely.

Max Verstappen was unsurprisingly the king of Sprint Races last year and he’s going to take some stopping in 2024.

Any tweaks to the format are unlikely to put Red Bull at a disadvantage such is the lead they currently have over their rivals.