F1 Commission talks open door to potentially major shift for sprint races

On the same day a decision was taken on the heated debate surrounding Mercedes’ engine compression ratio, the FIA’s press release also left room to discuss a proposal to increase the number of Sprint events to twelve — although, for now, nothing concrete has been agreed.

“There were discussions around the possibility of increasing the Sprint events up to 12 based on the demand for Sprints from fans and promoters,” the FIA stated.

At present, the calendar features six Sprint events across the season, which in 2026 will take place at the Chinese Grand Prix mid-March), the Miami Grand Prix (early May), the Canadian Grand Prix(late May), the British Grand Prix (early July), the Dutch Grand Prix (August), and the Singapore Grand Prix (October).

That figure already represents a doubling compared to the format’s debut in 2021, when just three Sprint races were held.

In a follow-up press release issued shortly afterwards, the FIA confirmed that the Power Unit Manufacturers have already submitted their votes, with a final outcome expected within the next ten days.

The governing body also stressed the joint work carried out to assess potential changes to the compression ratio, explaining that a formal proposal has been put forward and that the manufacturers’ voting process is now in progress, with a decision due in the near future.