FIA addresses sprint weekend red flag concerns with extended practice rule

The FIA will allow Formula 1's sole practice session on sprint weekends to be extended in the event of a red flag from 2026, directly addressing a recurring complaint from teams about insufficient preparation time. The change, voted through at the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Tashkent, aims to guarantee competitors receive the full 60 minutes of practice, a critical window on compressed sprint schedules.

Why it matters:

Sprint weekends compress the traditional weekend format, leaving teams with just one hour of practice on Friday before qualifying begins. A red flag during this session can severely hamper car setup and data collection, putting teams at a significant disadvantage for the rest of the event. This rule tweak is a practical solution to a flaw in the sprint format that has impacted races like Miami and Austin in 2025.

The details:

• The rule allows the F1 race director to extend the FP1 session on a sprint weekend if it is suspended by a red flag before the 45-minute mark.
• The extension can be applied as needed to ensure teams get the full 60 minutes of track time.
• If a stoppage occurs after the 45-minute mark, the session will not be extended, as teams are deemed to have gathered sufficient baseline data.
• This change applies only to the six sprint format weekends in 2026, not to conventional grand prix weekends which feature three practice sessions.

What's next:

This adjustment is part of several sporting regulation updates for the 2026 season, which coincides with major technical rule changes. The FIA also confirmed a return to a single pre-season test from 2027 onwards, after a temporary expansion to two tests in 2026 to help teams adapt to the new car regulations. Furthermore, a slight, temporary increase in operational staff allowances (from 58 to 60 per team) has been approved to manage the new generation of cars, alongside simplifications to race suspension procedures.