New F1 Sprint format proposals for 2024 – Since its introduction in 2021, the Sprint weekends have created controversy and confusion. First there were just three weekends a year which followed a different format from the traditional two practice sessions on Friday, a final practice Saturday morning followed by Grand Prix qualifying and the race on Sunday.

Much of the approach from the latest F1 commercial rights owners has been around generating more income. The calendar has been stretched to 24 races, a greater number of ‘official partners’ are now paying fees and the Sprint event is designed to popularise the entire weekend rather than just Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

 

 

 

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As the fees paid by the race promoters rise, Liberty Media has handed one in four of them a way to sell the least popular Friday tickets. With a qualifying session on Friday afternoon, even those fans on the highest of budgets can see on track competitive action on the day where the F1 weekend tickets are less costly.

In its original format, qualifying for the Sprint was on Friday afternoon and the Sprint race itself set the grid for the Grand Prix. Yet this left a second and meaningless practice session on Saturday morning given the cars were in parc ferme and the teams could not alter their setup.

Further, given the result of the Sprint awarded just three drivers points and it set the grid for the Grand Prix, the races were often conservative with the teams eying the big prize on Sunday.

Even as the 2023 hit the circuit in Bahrain for testing, last minute talks were underway to change this format where Grand Prix qualifying took place on Friday afternoon. The Sprint qualifying and race was to become a stand alone two session event on Saturday with the Grand Prix on Sunday.

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Late hour rule tweaks

The late hour of this proposal meant it required unanimous agreement amongst all the teams, which they gave. And so six times last year the new Sprint format was contested and the new rule awarding the top eight drivers with points made some of the short races more competitive affairs.

Yet the parc ferme problem remained. After just one practice session, the teams began qualifying in the afternoon and the car setup for the weekend was then frozen. The result was a number of surprise weekends where the pecking order was shaken up as one or two of the bigger teams failed to grasp the right setup and suffered for the next four track sessions.

Liberty Media fronted by Stefano Domenicali want more and more of the F1 events to be run in the Sprint format. At a meeting of tech F1 commission in Abu Dhabi the Sprint weekends for 2024 was high on the agenda with proposals on how to improve the show.

Tweaks to allow reverse grids and timing changes together with parc ferme alterations were all on the table. However, no consensus was found yet Domenicali was unperturbed.

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Domenicali promises “something different”

“We will do something [different for 2024], I cannot spoil anything that we are discussing, but I think that what we’re going to do is to consider all the lessons learned from this year,” the F1 supremo  told Sky Sports F1.

“I think that what you will see is something that you will appreciate, and what is great is that the survey that we did all around the world that the fans love this format, and we have the duty to fine tune the things that will consider also people and fans that are not really in love with that format, that will change because they’re getting smaller.”

The proposal gaining ground is to move Grand Prix qualifying from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. The was some apparent confusion for the ore casual fans over which of the two qualifying sessions related o which race over the weekend.

This would be the third format in three years and there’s no guarantee until its implemented that it will solve the problems for those who just don’t like the event.

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Just one practice session to remain

At one third distance the Sprint does not require any pitstops and is often a processional affair with the starting order remaining the same at the chequered flag.

Advocates of reverse grids suggest, if the grid for the Sprint was in say reverse championship order, then the race would be more exciting as thew quicker cars starting last make their way through the field.

What appears certain is there will remain just one practice session on Sprint weekends which means two qualifying sessions will be retained.

During the final weekend of January the F1 commission is set to decide any changes via a process as follows. First up it will meet with the various teams’ sporting directors to narrow the proposals on the table.

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F1 promoters in limbo

Then a video call with team principals will take place and a vote will be taken on which new format to introduce. This then will require approval from the entire F1 commission maybe in Bahrain before being sent for rubber stamping by the World Council for Motorsports. 

Until then the promoters of the six Sprint weekends this season are left in limbo over how to promote their tickets.

Sprint events will take place in China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Brazil and Qatar.

Verstappen started F1’s first sprint race of 2023 in third place but had to survive a bruising battle with George Russell on the opening lap left him with damage to his Red Bull RB19.

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Verstappen calls for cancelation of Sprint

He recovered to pass Russell and finish third but as well as expressing his anger at Russell he took at shot at F1’s sprint race format in the post-sprint-race press conference. “Just scrap the whole thing,” Verstappen said when asked for his thoughts on the format.

“I think it’s just important to go back to what we had and make sure that every team can fight for the win, that’s what we have to try and aim for [rather than ] trying to implement all these kinds of artificial excitement.”

Red Bull pre-race weekend preparations were exceptional last year and so the team arrived for the Sprint events and just one practice session, with the car setup work simulated and agreed. 

This saw Max Verstappen top the mini Sprint championship table taking four poles and three wins along the way.

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