Miami, China to host sprint races in 2024 F1 season

The Miami and Chinese Grands Prix will host sprint races in the 2024 Formula One season, organisers announced on Tuesday.

There will be six sprints for the second straight year, after the format was added in 2021 to three race weekends.

The Azerbaijan and Belgian races will miss out on the Saturday sprint having held one each last year.

“The addition of Shanghai will be a challenge for the teams and drivers as Formula One heads back to China for the first time since 2019, while a sprint in Miami will add a new dimension to an enthralling weekend,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of motorsports’ governing body the FIA.

The United States, Austrian, Brazilian and Qatari Grands Prix will again host sprints, which offer eight championship points to the winner.

However, the shortened Saturday races are not universally popular in the paddock.

“I think it’s clear that the sprints need to evolve a bit,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said last month.

“I can understand the concept and it being action on all three days… But I think the sprints in some cases have been slightly underwhelming.

“There’s no pit stop, it tends to stay in grid order and its a little bit like getting a medal for a long run.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will bid for a fourth straight drivers’ world title next year after a record-breaking 2023 campaign in which he won 19 of the 22 races and four sprints.