Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore are all expected to host their first-ever Sprint Weekends alongside Britain, China, and Miami, with the 2026 Sprint calendar seemingly leaked by the Dutch Grand Prix’s social media accounts.
2026 will also mark the final edition of the Dutch Grand Prix, after it was announced last year that the race would not renew its contract beyond its current deal, which ends next season.
Notably, it will be the first time since the introduction of the Sprint format that Brazil won’t be included on the Sprint calendar. Qatar and the United States will also miss out for the first time since 2022, while Belgium drops off again after returning as a Sprint host in 2025 for the first time since 2023.
For the first time EVER, Saturday’s all about the Sprint at Zandvoort in 2026! 🏁 🏎️
🎟️ Secure your 2025/2026 combo tickets today via https://t.co/7aqN3HztvT and be part of it!#DutchGP #F1Sprint #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/p34u8IqhDE
— Dutch Grand Prix (@f1dutchgp) July 26, 2025
A total of 11 circuits have hosted Sprint Weekends since the format was introduced four years ago.
Silverstone hosted the inaugural Sprint Weekend in 2021 — then referred to as ‘Sprint Qualifying’ — where the Sprint Race was used to determine the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
That first race was won by Max Verstappen, who claimed pole position and scored just three points — five fewer than a Sprint Race win earns in 2025.
“In the end I’m happy of course to have got those three points – it sounds a bit funny to then hear you scored a pole position,” Verstappen said after the debut Sprint Race. “But anyway we’ll take it.”
The inaugural Sprint season in 2021 featured just three weekends: Britain, Italy, and Brazil. Silverstone was replaced by Austria in 2022, when the points system was expanded to reward the top eight finishers.
Since 2023, six race weekends per season have featured the Sprint format, with the Sprint Race no longer determining the Grand Prix grid. Instead, a traditional qualifying session is held to set the starting order for Sunday.
Verstappen’s win in the Belgian Sprint this weekend was his 12th, and he remains the only driver in F1 history with more than two Sprint Race victories.
Valtteri Bottas, Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris each have two Sprint wins, while George Russell, Sergio Perez, and Lewis Hamilton all have one.
The next Sprint Weekend in 2025 will take place at the United States Grand Prix in October.
Discussion about this post