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The British Grand Prix is set to become one of six sprint events on next year's Formula 1 season

Silverstone held its most recent sprint format event back in 2021, which was this racing format was introduced

The biggest surprise is the selection of Singapore to the sprint schedule – the difficulty to pass other cars at the street circuit does not instantly make it look like an ideal candidate to host a sprint race

The other races scheduled to feature sprints next season are set to be Shanghai, Miami International Autodrome, Canada and the Netherlands, that is exiting the calendar following the 2025 championship

The 2026 schedule comprises 24 races and was announced in June

Among the changes is a debut Grand Prix taking place in Madrid alongside the race hosted by the Catalan circuit, which has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix for over three decades

The current agreement with Barcelona runs out following the 2025 championship yet it remains in the running as a potential host scheduled to share a slot with Belgium's iconic circuit

Additional circuits which indicated an interest in rotating consist of Germany, Portimão and Istanbul Park

The championship organizers is also finalizing a proposal to introduce a Grand Prix in Thailand's capital, possibly starting in 2028

There have been six shortened races each year over the past few years and organizers decided against expanding that next year due to additional workload on the teams resulting from upcoming technical and power unit standards that are being introduced

Nonetheless, F1 bosses evaluating raising the number of sprint races from 2027 to as many as 12, which would mean sprint races at half the races during the season

The sprint format features a shorter race with its own qualifying session, ahead of the Grand Prix qualifying and the primary Grand Prix

Conventional race weekend includes three FP sessions prior to the qualifying hour and the grand prix

Additionally, there are conversations about modifying the structure of sprint events, possibly featuring testing reversed grid formats

"With four on-track battles instead of just two during a conventional F1 event, short-form weekends deliver more action daily to spectators, broadcast partners as well as hosts"

Sprints additionally produce higher revenue within F1 as promoters are prepared to pay a premium to stage sprint races

"The upcoming campaign marks the start of a transformed landscape in the rules, so having three new sprint venues enhances tension during races"

F1 2026 Season Sprint Race Venues

• China – March 13-15
• Miami – 1-3 May
• Canada – 22-24 May
• Great Britain – 3-5 July
• Netherlands – August 21-23
• Singapore GP – 9-11 October