Are Shorter Races the Future of Formula 1?

McLaren Formula One Team

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali recently hinted that shorter races could be coming to the calendar. But what would that really mean for the sport and for fans?

Since the very beginning, the number of races has steadily grown: from just seven races in 1950 to a record-breaking 24 scheduled for 2025 (not counting sprints). And with the FIA’s newly released 2026 calendar featuring even more sprint weekends, it’s clear that F1 is continuing to evolve.

While most fans only see the action on Saturdays and Sundays, the reality is that F1 weekends start on Thursdays for drivers — and even earlier for the teams and engineers. Between media duties, team briefings, and gym sessions, many drivers have voiced concerns about the ever-growing workload.

Free practice sessions (which currently fill most of Friday and Saturday mornings on non-sprint weekends) are also under scrutiny. As Domenicali put it, “promoters and fans want action.” Many feel that two hours of cars circulating with no competitive context isn’t enough to hold casual viewers’ attention.

“Free practice appeals to super-specialists”, “People who want to see more action prefer a sprint weekend.”

The push for shorter races is largely about keeping younger audiences engaged. Some argue that reducing race length could make F1 more watchable for fans with shorter attention spans but not everyone agrees this is a good move.

Fernando Alonso called it “a problem of society and the kids”, warning that shorter races could harm F1’s essence.

Kimi Antonelli shared that sentiment. While he supports sprint weekends - “You have to be on point straight away” - he’s skeptical that shortening full races would work. “I think shorter races… I don’t think it would really work”.

Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, sees it differently: “As a fan, what you want to see is more racing. We live in such a consumer world now that we want more spectacle, more show, and more frequently.”

Interestingly, driver attitudes toward sprints have shifted. “Initially 18 were against and only two in favor,” Domenicali noted. “Today it’s the opposite. Even Max [Verstappen] now says it makes sense. In the end, drivers are born to race.”

Behind the scenes, Domenicali argues that modern tools make it possible to cut back on practice time without compromising performance. From his perspective, it’s all about giving fans more meaningful on-track action.

Could shorter races, combined with more sprint events, help fix “boring” rounds like Monaco or Singapore? Maybe. But they could also reduce the time for strategy, mistakes, and comebacks - what make F1 unpredictable.

For now, the tone inside F1 is: “It’s on our agenda — why don’t we try it?” What remains to be seen is how traditional fans will react if the sport’s classic rhythm starts to change.

By Adriana Costa