"It is better to have a format that includes a goal"- F1 chief looking to change rules regarding free practice sessions

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that his team is working on evolving some of the current aspects of the Free Practice sessions. In the current format, there are two Free Practice sessions on Friday, a third on Saturday before qualifying, and then on Sunday, the Grand Prix is run.

According to the F1 boss, there will be some changes to this as there needs to be a goal for every session. He said:

“We are working to evolve some aspects of the sprint race. Next year, we want to have six on the calendar, and together with the FIA, we are finalizing the details. I believe that for all spectators and fans, if in every day of activity on the track there is a sporting goal to be achieved, it is much better."

Domenicali doubled down on the importance of attaching a 'goal' to every session, saying:

"Free practice is very interesting for the engineers and the drivers, but in the end, I think it's more interesting to fight for something, for a goal. I will be judged as aggressive, but I think it's better to have a free practice session on Friday morning and then fight for something."

---

A third of the F1 races on the calendar in the middle east is the target

The F1 boss talked about finding the right mix of races as he looked forward to finalizing the 2023 season calendar. Domenicali also highlighted that the right mix in an F1 calendar would include at least a third of the races in the Middle East. For now, we have races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi. What this means is that there is an emphasis on adding five more races in the region.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Domenicali said:

"I never said that this weekend will be the last Belgian Grand Prix, but we are talking to many promoters, including those from Spa. The balance will be finding the right mix with a third of the races in Europe, a third in the Middle East, and the remainder in the American area."

He further added:

"The financial contribution of the investments is very important, but we have always said that historical competitions, even if they cannot guarantee the money that other promoters bring, have our full respect."

The sport is undergoing a paradigm shift and it will be interesting to see what happens next.