Formula 1 is going to be very different for a couple of races this year. Will sprint qualifying be here to stay?
Formula 1 has traditionally been very resilient to change over its 70 years of racing. Tweaks to the format have always been resisted for fear of losing the delicate balance of talent and tactics it possesses. However, both the teams and governing body have decided that they will trial a dramatically different weekend to see if F1 can reinvigorate lost fans.
Here’s what’s new.
The plan
Typically an F1 weekend plays out over three days. Friday consists of first practice and second practice sessions. Saturday opens with third practice giving teams their last real chance to test and tinker, before qualifying begins. Sunday is race day with the grid set in order of the fastest qualifying times.
The new plan significantly shakes things up.
Sprint qualifying
The new format being tested is a big departure from what we are used to. It’s hoped that by introducing a new 62 mile sprint race on Saturday it will add value to the F1 weekend. So how does it work?
Friday will kick off with a practice session as usual, but with two sets of tyres available. Things then quickly move on to qualifying to set the grid for the sprint race via the usual Q1, Q2 and Q3 format – five sets of tyres will be available. Saturday starts with another practice session utilising one set of tyres, before the 100km sprint race begins. Teams won’t have to pit during this event and will have two sets of tyres available to them. The results will set the grid for Sunday’s race with 1st, 2nd and 3rd places being awarded championship points.
Sunday is race day as usual with each car offered two sets of tyres.
Where and when?
The very first time we will see this new vision of Formula 1 is the British Grand Prix 16-18 July 2021. Monza in Italy will follow suit over 10-12 September, and another yet to be disclosed race closer to the end of the season is to do the same.
Nobody really knows how all of this is going to play out. There’s a lot of potential with more race action packed into a weekend, something undoubtably beneficial to spectators, but there’s also a danger of devaluing the race itself on Sunday.
We will just have to wait and see what happens in July.
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Keyword: How F1's new Sprint races will work