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The F1 sprint weekend is set to undergo drastic changes, which will be introduced at the Baku GP for the season's first sprint race weekend. However, the decision is yet to be finalized as the F1 Commission is meeting on Tuesday (April 25) to vote on the changes.
The proposed changes would implement two separate qualifying sessions for the Grand Prix and the Sprint race. This would mean that Saturday's shorter race would no longer set the grid for the main race on Sunday.
F1 plans to ditch Saturday's Free Practice 2 session to make way for the qualifying session for the sprint race. The starting order for the main race will now be decided by Friday evening's qualifying session.
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Here is the proposed new Sprint weekend format:
Friday
PM: Free Practice
PM: Qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix
Saturday
AM: Qualifying for Sprint race
PM: Sprint race
Sunday
PM: Grand Prix
The decision to ditch the FP2 session on Saturday was made as the session was redundant. The practice session was meaningless as teams weren't allowed to change the car set-up due to Parc Ferme rules in effect after the qualifying session.
The format change also encourages drivers to be more attacking and take more risks in the Sprint race. Earlier, drivers were conservative as the finishing order of the 100-km sprint race decided the starting order for Sunday's race.
The F1 commission is chaired by President Stefano Domenicali and FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis. It comprises representatives of teams and engine suppliers to discuss sporting, financial, and technical matters.
If the commission decides to change the weekend format, the new format would then require approval from FIA's World Motor Sport Council before being implemented in Baku.
How does the F1 paddock feel about the new format?
F1's proposed alteration to the sprint weekend format has drawn mixed reactions from drivers and fans. Max Verstappen criticized the changes, threatening to leave the sport. However, the team principals are in favor of the new changes.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said:
"The Saturday morning session was boring as hell, It was boring for me, for the fans it's even more boring, so doing a qualifying session instead is good."
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur indicated the teams were all aligned to welcome the new format. At the Australian GP, he said:
"For once I think all the teams were aligned. It's not very often that it's the case so we have to jump on it, I like the format. I'm not a big fan of the usual FP2, sometimes it's a bit boring... To try to have something more dynamic during the weekend is a good decision."
The new format might be trialed over the Baku weekend as the sprint races are scheduled for another five weekends this season. After this weekend, sprint races will return to Austria, Belgium, Qatar, USA, and Brazil.
