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Race Weekend

Grand Prix Weekend Format

Friday

GP weekend takes place from Friday to Sunday. On Friday there are 2 one-hour practice sessions called Free Practice 1 (FP1) and Free Practice 2 (FP2). This allows for the drivers to test their cars to make sure everything works as it should and learn all about the race track in preparation for qualifying.

Saturday

On Saturday there is one more Free Practice (FP3) where the drivers will take shorter runs to get the cars warmed up for qualifying. Qualifying is split up into three different sections, where the drivers try to attain the fastest lap. Every driver takes part in the first qualifier, called Q1, which lasts around 18 minutes. The 5 slowest drivers from Q1 are eleminated and will start the race at the bottom of the grid, P16-P20, on Sunday based on lap time. The top 15 drivers move on to the next qualifier, called Q2. Q2 is slightly shorter than Q1 and takes around 15 minutes and the 5 slowest drivers in Q2 are eliminated and will start the race between P11-P15 on Sunday based on lap time. The top 10 fastest drivers will advance to Q3. Q3 is even shorter then Q2 and lasts around 12 minutes and sets the pole position (P1) and top 10 of the starting grid, again based on lap time.

Sunday

On Sunday, we have the Grand Prix which everyone has been waiting for all weekend. However, before the race, drivers partake in reconnaissance laps to gauge the track conditions and conduct last-minute checks on the car. After the 10 minutes of reconnaissance laps, the teams are allowed to administer any final changes on the car before the formation lap. The formation lap is one lap around the circuit where the drivers will warm up the tires in prepartion for the race, and then lineup in their grid positions. When all the drivers are back in position, the Race Director will initiate the start sequence. This sequence involves five lights turning on, before blinking out one by one, and away they go. Grand Prix's generally take two hours but the distance of each race is equal to the least amount of laps that exceed 305 kilometers.

Points are then awarded to the drivers based on the chart below, with an extra point given to the driver with the fastest lap of the race.

point allocation chart

Sprint Weekends

2023 race calendar

There is also another GP weekend format called Sprint Weekend. In 2023, there are six Sprint Weekends and they follow a different format compared to the normal GP weekend. On Friday, the drivers participate in FP1 in the morning, and then partake in qualifying later in the day which sets the positions for the Sprint. The qualifying follows the same rules as a normal weekend format, except the duration of each qualifier is shortened by a few minutes. Then on Saturday there is a short second practice and then the Sprint. The Sprint is a 100km race that sets the grid order for Sunday's GP and last's around 30 minutes. These sprints are also worth points just like the actual GP itself, except they are worth less with P1 receiving 8 points, P2 7 points, P3 6 points, P4 5 points, P5 4 points, P6 3 points, P7 2 points, and P8 1 Point. Then, like any other race weekend, Sunday is when the actual GP takes place.

2023 Sprint Weekend GP's