Singapore Grand Prix to host Formula One sprint race in 2026

SINGAPORE – Motor racing fans can expect more thrills at the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix in 2026, when the sprint race makes its debut at the Marina Bay Street Circuit from Oct 9 to 11.

The other sprint races for the 2026 season will be in China (March 13-15), Miami (May 1-3), Canada (May 22-24), Britain (July 3-5) and the Netherlands (Aug 21-23).

Jonathan Hallett, director of race promoter Singapore GP, said in a statement on Sept 16: “We are thrilled to be one of six circuits to host the F1 Sprint next year.

“We’ve already seen new Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix winners each year since 2022... with new regulations, a new team joining the grid, as well as the F1 Sprint, fans can look forward to even more competitive racing as the drivers go all out on all three event days.”

Tickets for the 2026 race will be “released in phases soon and will be limited to select ticket categories only”, said Singapore GP.

Introduced in 2021 to increase the sport’s entertainment value, sprint races run for 100km, or about one-third the length of a regular F1 race, and last for about 30 minutes.

According to the F1 website, tracks with good overtaking potential are chosen to host sprint races.

Sprint races have delivered plenty of fierce wheel-to-wheel action, including a memorable win for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix in March to mark his first victory in a Ferrari.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the most dominant sprint racer with 12 wins, while no other driver has more than two victories.

The sprint race begins with an hour-long free practice session on Friday for teams and drivers to test their set-ups for the weekend, before sprint qualifying takes place later in the day.

Split into three stages – SQ1, SQ2 and SQ3 which last 12, 10 and eight minutes respectively – sprint qualifying follows a similar format to traditional qualifying to whittle the field to the 10 fastest drivers.

The sprint race proper, a 100km dash to the chequered flag with no mandatory pit stop, then takes place on Saturday, with a maximum of eight points available to drivers and teams finishing in the top eight.

The race weekend then continues with traditional qualifying on Saturday to set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Local fans whom The Straits Times spoke to had mixed views about the new addition.

Jenson Lim, a 38-year-old tutor, said: “It mixes things up and adds more excitement and pressure, as sprint weekends have just one free practice instead of three sessions for regular race weekends.

“So there is less time for teams to configure their set-ups and more room for errors as they fight for extra points.”

Engineer James Koh, 31, however, was sceptical about how the sprint race would work as a spectacle for fans.

He said: “The Marina Bay Street Circuit is notoriously tight and narrow, which makes it difficult to overtake, so I’m not sure if it would work out well for a sprint format, but I’ll still be keen to see how the first one unfolds.”

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that F1 bosses are considering trying out reverse grids for sprints and doubling the sprint events to 12 in the 2027 season.

Reverse grids have been used in sprint races for F2 and F3, for which the top 10 and top 12 respectively are inverted for the shorter Saturday races, while the grid for Sunday remains in qualifying order.

F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: “With four competitive sessions rather than two during a conventional grand prix weekend, F1 sprint events offer more action each day for our fans, broadcast partners and for the promoters – driving increased attendance and viewership.

“The 2026 season will usher in a new era of regulations, so having three new sprint venues will only add to the drama on track.”

The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix will run from Oct 3 to 5.