Domenicali hints at expanded F1 sprint calendar for next season

Domenicali points to bigger sprint programme

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has indicated that the championship could expand its sprint race schedule next season, with the alternative weekend format potentially appearing at more events than ever before.

According to Sky Sports, sprint races could be staged at nine or 10 events during next year’s campaign. While the official calendar has not yet been published, Domenicali suggested an announcement is close and that a larger sprint footprint is likely to be part of it.

Friday action remains central to F1’s thinking

“If you remember in the beginning, people were always sceptical of what we’re doing,” Domenicali said. “We have the duty to be, in a way, brave and to think out of the box.”

That focus on entertainment has become an increasingly prominent theme in F1’s direction, echoing wider discussions around how the sport balances sporting structure with the spectacle expected by fans. For more on that broader entertainment debate, read our recent analysis on David Coulthard urging the FIA to keep entertainment central after the British GP safety car finish.

Calendar announcement expected soon

Domenicali used Silverstone as an example of why F1 believes Fridays must carry greater competitive weight. The presence of a large crowd, he argued, reinforces the need for sessions that deliver action rather than simply preparation.

“I think you see the effect. Friday, with the people that we had at Silverstone, if you don’t give something that has to be an action, it would be wrong,” he said.

The F1 CEO then made his clearest hint yet that the next calendar will include an increased sprint allocation.

“Therefore, I think that this is the way to go, and we are on the process of announcing the bigger number for the future,” Domenicali said. “This will come when we announce the calendar very, very soon.”

If confirmed, the move would mark another significant step in F1’s continued reshaping of the grand prix weekend format.