Silverstone is set to become one of six sprint race weekends on next year's Formula 1 season
The UK circuit previously staged sprint in 2021, the year this racing format made its debut
The biggest surprise is the selection of the Singapore street circuit to the sprint schedule – the difficulty to pass other cars at the street circuit does not instantly appear as an ideal candidate for a sprint event
The other races to hold sprint races next season are set to be China, Miami International Autodrome, Canada and the Netherlands, which is exiting the F1 schedule after next season
The 2026 schedule features two dozen Grands Prix and was revealed this past summer
Notably, it introduces a new race held in Spain's capital city alongside the race hosted by Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, that has been home to Spain's F1 round since 1991
Barcelona's contract runs out after next season but it is under consideration as a potential host that rotates with Belgium's iconic circuit
Other events which indicated an interest for a shared slot consist of Germany, Portugal and Istanbul Park
F1 is also finalizing a proposal for a Thai round in Thailand's capital, perhaps from the 2028 season
There have been six shortened races annually over the past few years and F1 decided against expanding that in the upcoming season because of additional workload facing squads resulting from revised technical and power unit standards that are being introduced
That said, championship leaders are considering expanding the quantity of shortened-format weekends starting in 2027 to as many as twelve, which would mean sprints during 50% of events over the calendar
The sprint format features a brief race with its own qualifying session, prior to the main qualifying and the main event
Standard grand prix weekend has three FP sessions leading up to Saturday qualifying and the grand prix
Ongoing discussions on altering the format for sprint weekends, that may involve testing reversed grid formats
"Featuring four competitive sessions instead of only two throughout a typical grand prix weekend, sprint races provide additional racing each day for viewers, TV networks as well as hosts"
Short-form races further create increased earnings within F1 because organizers are willing to invest extra to stage sprint races
"Next year's championship marks the start of a revolutionary period of regulations, thus making fresh locations for sprints will only add to excitement during races"
Formula 1 2026 Season Sprint Weekends
- China – 13-15 March
- Miami GP – 1-3 May
- Canadian GP – May 22-24
- Great Britain – 3-5 July
- Netherlands – 21-23 August
- Singapore – October 9-11
