Formula One is changing the rules for this weekend’s British Grand Prix in order to make it more exciting.
The which f1 races will have sprint qualifying is a question that has been asked many times. F1 announced their new format for the British Grand Prix, which will be the first race to use it.
In an effort to enhance the show, Formula One has opted to change its qualifying structure for three races this year, with the first round under the new regulations taking place this weekend at the British Grand Prix.
What’s different now?
Monza is one of the events that will utilize sprint qualifying. Getty Images/Dan Istitene/Formula 1/Formula 1
Instead of a conventional, fastest-lap-style qualifying session, the grid for Sunday’s grand prix will be determined by a 100km sprint race on Saturday at three events this year.
The Sprint, as it has been dubbed by F1, will be a 30-minute race (17 circuits at Silverstone, for example), with the goal of delivering thrilling racing on Saturday and a mixed field on Sunday.
Instead of a free practice session, a regular qualifying session on Friday afternoon (with the current Q1, Q2, Q3 structure) will determine the grid order for the sprint race.
The weekend schedule for certain rounds when sprint qualifying is utilized will be as follows:
Friday The first time you practice (60 mins) Friday’s qualifiers (60 mins – Q1, Q2, Q3 format)
Second practice on Saturday (60 mins) The race is on (100km race)
Grand Prix on Sunday (305km race)
Pole position will be given to the victor of the sprint, not the driver who recorded the quickest time in Friday qualifying, in the history books and official F1 records.
In which events will sprint qualifying be held?
The first sprint qualifying session will take place at Silverstone. Getty Images/Dan Istitene/Formula 1/Formula 1
F1 will debut the new format in this weekend’s British Grand Prix before repeating it at the Italian Grand Prix in September. A third, non-European location will be announced later.
Interlagos in Sao Paulo is a good candidate for the third race and was originally at the top of F1’s list of non-European venues, but uncertainty over whether the Brazilian Grand Prix will be held due to the country’s high rate of COVID-19 infections means the sport will wait and see how the pandemic plays out before making a decision.
Another contender is the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Will there be a point system in place?
The top three drivers in the sprint race will be given points, with three for the winner, two for second, and one for third.
Because F1 maintains that the emphasis of the weekend will remain on Sunday’s race, no customary podium ceremony will be held after the sprint.
However, by giving points to the top three finishers, there is a small possibility that a championship could be determined by the results of sprint qualifying late in the year rather than the results of a grand prix, something F1’s racing director Ross Brawn is eager to prevent.
Purists may be offended by such a situation, yet championships have been won in the past by drivers who earned a few points in a lower ranking place without the grandeur of a top three finish.
What’s the point of changing the format?
Since taking over F1 in 2017, Liberty Media has been looking for new methods to connect fans and enhance the event.
More on-track activity, in theory, means more spectators, which means more money from television and sponsorship agreements.
It seems like a simple victory to replace one of the non-competitive practice sessions with a competitive sprint race, and F1 is convinced that it will expand the appeal of a race weekend.
“In terms of a competition, a sprint qualifying weekend is a lot more comprehensive weekend,” Brawn remarked. “An rigorous competition is taking place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all three days, so we’ve increased the weekend’s intensity.”
“It still has integrity, and the entire weekend has a meritocracy to it.” We want to see whether a shorter format is more engaging for new fans — the goal here is to keep our loyal followers, our long-time fans engaged, and we definitely don’t want to alienate our long-time F1 fans, so this event has integrity and meritocracy. This isn’t a ruse.
“The best men will win the sprint, and what they win will have an effect on the rest of the weekend.”
“As a result, we’d want to investigate new fan interaction as well as the consolidation and enhancement of current fan involvement. And I believe F1 made a fantastic step by allowing this to take place at three races throughout the season, so we can evaluate those races and determine whether or not this is something we want to pursue, which I am sure we will.”
Where did reverse grids go?
The concept of a reverse grid in Formula One was rejected by Mercedes. Getty Images/Mark Thompson
Those who have followed F1 news over the past year will recall that the sprint qualifying concept began as a suggestion for a Saturday reverse grid race.
The reverse grid concept was identical to the sprint, but instead of a Friday qualifying session, the starting order for Saturday’s sprint race would have been determined by reversing the championship order.
In theory, this would push the quickest drivers to battle their way through the pack in order to earn the greatest possible starting position for the race on Sunday.
The concept had some support from lesser teams, but it was ridiculed by top drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, and was eventually rejected by world champions Mercedes.
Mercedes was concerned that it would introduce a gimmick to the weekend that would be incompatible with F1’s fundamental values, and that the sport didn’t need such a dramatic change in the first place.
The 2023 Italian Grand Prix, won by Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri after a red-flag halt jumbled the order ahead of a mid-race restart, was cited as an example of how entertaining reverse-grid racing might be, but the comparison was questionable and failed to persuade doubters.
“This is not WWE,” Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said of the case against reverse grids.
Will sprint qualifying be effective?
If F1’s goal is to provide more thrilling track sessions over the course of a weekend, replacing a non-competitive practice session with a sprint race is a clear gain.
However, the verdict is still out on whether sprint qualifying will produce thrilling racing, and the championship as a whole may suffer as a result.
The quickest cars from single-lap qualifying will start at the head of the field for the sprint race, as is customary in Formula One, and there’s a strong possibility that, since they’re the fastest cars, they’ll stay there throughout the race with little movement in the order.
It’s a long-standing problem in motor racing, and it’s what the original reverse-grid concept was designed to address.
Furthermore, a shorter race without pit stops will provide less chances for strategic variety, resulting in a follow-the-leader finish.
Consider some of the most thrilling Grands Prix in recent years that took place in dry weather. One of the reasons these races were so exciting is because tyre strategy began to affect the relative performance of the cars as the race progressed.
Overtaking happens often in F1 because the two cars racing each other are utilizing different tyre compounds or ages of tyres, or both; these variables are less likely to play a role in a 100km race.
Although F1 may refer to the Drag Reduction System (DRS) as a means to allow the following vehicle to overtake, simulations of sprint races conducted by the teams indicate this isn’t the case.
The DRS is an overtaking assist that enables a driver to improve straight-line speed by lowering drag by opening a flap in the rear wing. It can only be used in specific areas of the track and only when a driver is within a second of the vehicle ahead of him in a race.
In Formula One, overtaking is often caused by a combination of tyre deterioration and the usage of DRS. Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) Dan Istitene
The increased straight-line speed of a vehicle employing DRS should theoretically help it pass the car ahead, but when a lengthy line of cars are all within a second of one another — known as a “DRS train” — the benefit is frequently nullified, and the cars circle in packs.
There was talk of extending the usage of DRS to vehicles that are two seconds behind the car in front, but it was never implemented, and it’s unclear whether it would have had much of an effect anyway.
In terms of shaking up the grid for Sunday, a sprint race has a higher chance of a retirement or accident than a regular qualifying session, which might leave a competitive vehicle battling its way back through the field in the main event.
However, the risk of dropping to the back of the grid if a driver makes a mistake in the sprint race may influence the style of racing we see on Saturday afternoon, with drivers less likely to risk an overtake knowing that a good result in the grand prix is worth far more points than an extra position in sprint qualifying.
It’s easy to picture engineers instructing their drivers to maintain position while comparing the benefits of moving up one grid place against a possible back-of-the-grid start.
Furthermore, an incident in a Saturday qualifying race may have significant championship consequences. While the idea of a championship leader needing to recover from a Saturday accident in Sunday’s race is enticing, there’s also the potential of a rival driver falling out of title contention due to a vehicle problem on Saturday that puts him on the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.
Of course, the same might be said of a mistake in conventional qualifying, but the danger of putting everything on the line for a single lap isn’t nearly as high as putting it everything on the line for a 100-kilometer race.
As a consequence, unless a driver finds himself far out of position after Friday qualifying, we may only witness cautious processions throughout the sprint races.
When the visors are removed and the lights are turned out, F1 hopes that the drivers will compete like they would in a regular grand prix. Furthermore, Brawn claims that a race without a required pit stop would offer a more pure type of competitiveness leading up to Sunday’s main event.
“It’s a wonderful sport, and we’ve already had a tremendous year this year,” he added.
“Who wouldn’t want to watch Max [Verstappen] and Lewis [Hamilton] battle head-to-head in a 100-kilometer race with no other factors to consider?”
“On the pit wall, there’s no one who’s going to screw it up; it’s just the two of them.”
Is everyone on board with the new format?
The 10 teams, the FIA, and Formula One all gave their consent to sprint qualifying, but it took a “intensive consultation and review process” to get there.
The teams were offered a bonus payment from F1 for participating in the three sprint races, as well as a damage allowance within F1’s budget cap, so that any repair bills incurred as a result of the extra sprint races would not add to the pressure on teams already struggling to meet the $145 million cap.
However, FIA president Jean Todt said during the French Grand Prix last month that he was not a fan of the concept and did not consider it genuine racing.
But F1 has always said that the sprint would be an experiment, and all teams and drivers have been asked to do is maintain an open mind.
“I suppose to address the issue directly, some people like the conventional method and believe we’re meddling with something that doesn’t require tinkering with,” Brawn remarked.
“However, I don’t believe the manner we’re approaching this chance will harm F1. And after the second or third event, it will be apparent how well it is working and how well the fans are interacting with it.
“I believe we would want to continue with this next year.” It all hinges on persuading the teams of the benefits of moving ahead. Obviously, we’ve provided financial assistance to the teams this year to help them get to the finish line.
“We’ll have to figure something up for next year. So yet, there has been no commitment to next season. That is something we will discuss when we have a better understanding of the effect of these three events and, as a result, the value for all parties involved.”
Will it be implemented across the board in the future?
Monaco is not a sprint qualification contender. Getty Images/Mark Thompson
F1 will use this year’s three sprint qualifying sessions as a test before determining whether to use the concept in future races.
Brawn stated, though, that it will not be utilized at some locations, like as Monaco, where overtaking is uncommon and single-lap qualifying is already a spectacular sight.
He remarked, “I’m not convinced this structure would be as effective in Monaco.” “We’re treating these weekends as Grand Slam tournaments scattered throughout the season, so it’s unique.”
“I don’t believe it’ll be for the whole season; I think it’ll be for a select number of races,” he says.
“The drivers are open minded about the format — and that’s all we want,” Brawn said, “that the drivers maintain an open mind so we can assess this event and determine whether it will become a part of the F1 season in the future.”
“If that doesn’t work, we’ll raise our hands and reconsider.”
Weather that is wet, tyres, and the parc ferme are the tricky parts.
F1 had to consider the possible consequences of a variety of variables while altering the format, including rainy weather, weekend tyre allocations, and the necessity to stretch parc ferme rules across three days.
Tyres
One peculiarity of the new rules is how they will affect the weekend usage of tyre allotment.
At each race, the teams are given three different dry weather tyre compounds, with each driver getting eight sets of softs, three sets of mediums, and two sets of hards on a typical weekend. For the sprint format, that allotment has been modified, with each driver having access to six sets of softs, four sets of mediums, and two sets of hards.
Hard tyres have the longest life in race circumstances but the poorest performance over a single lap. Soft tyres offer the quickest lap speeds but the shortest life in race conditions. Soft tyres are nearly usually the best choice for achieving the quickest lap in a conventional qualifying format, although new tyres should be mounted for each run.
For the 100km race, the medium or hard tyre is likely to be the best choice, with just one set being used to avoid a pit stop, which will not be required.
As a consequence, the tyre use regulations for sprint qualifying weekends have been modified, with the following allotment for each session:
Friday First practice: Two pairs of any tyre compound are available. Five pairs of soft compound tyres for use in Q1, Q2, and Q3 in Friday qualifying.
Saturday Second practice: Choose any tyre compound for a single set. Sprint qualifying allows drivers to use up to two sets of any tyre compound, with no pit stops needed. After the session, the set of tyres that has completed the most laps from the sprint race will be returned to Pirelli.
Sunday Race: Free choice of remaining tyres; but, under dry circumstances, at least two tyre compounds must be used, implying at least one pit stop. There is no need for the top ten qualifiers to start the race on the same set as they did in Q2.
Because soft tyres are only used in Friday qualifying, F1 has abolished the rule that stated drivers qualifying in the top ten must start the race on the tyre they recorded their best lap on in Q2.
As a consequence, all 20 vehicles will be able to choose their tyres before the start of the race.
Wet weather
Teams will be granted an extra set of intermediate tyres on top of their normal allotment of four sets if first practice or Friday qualifying is conducted in wet conditions, although they must return a set of used intermediates before the start of sprint qualifying.
If the track is wet during sprint qualifying, the teams may return one pair of worn full-wet or intermediate tyres after the session and replace them with fresh ones before the grand prix on Sunday.
The usual allotment of seven sets of wet weather tyres (three sets of full-wet tyres and four sets of intermediates) may be increased to nine sets over the weekend, based on the arithmetic.
a farm park
Between qualifying and the race, F1 has traditionally maintained parc ferme rules, which prohibit vehicle configuration changes.
The initial goal was to prevent teams from arriving to circuits with one vehicle configuration optimized for optimum performance on a single lap and a completely another one optimized for the race, which might substantially raise expenses.
Parc ferme rules will be in effect from the start of Friday qualifying, through Saturday’s sprint qualifying, and into Sunday’s race under the new structure.
Certain elements of parc ferme will be removed, though, to enable technical changes for the second practice session on Saturday morning before the cars are restored to parc ferme specifications for sprint qualifying. The goal is to keep the Saturday morning practice session useful for teams looking to test new ideas, even if it’s probable that teams will only run on heavy fuel for the race and may cut down on running to save mileage on components.
Some minor modifications to particular aspects of the vehicle setup, such as cooling changes if the temperature increases by 10 degrees, suspension changes, and replacement brake material for safety reasons, will still be permitted under parc ferme.
Furthermore, if a team breaks a component, like as a front wing, during sprint qualifying and does not have spares of the same specification, it will be permitted to replace it with an earlier, previously-used specification without incurring a penalty.
The sprint qualifying points is a new format that will be used at the British GP. This new format will allow drivers to score points for their fastest lap during each session.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Sprint race qualifying work?
Sprint race qualifying is a way of determining who gets to race in the main event. This is done by having a randomized draw that gives each racer a number from 1-100. The racers with the highest numbers will get to race in the main event, while those with lower numbers will not.
What is the new sprint qualifying?
The new sprint qualifying is a new scoring system where you can earn points by completing the course in less than two minutes.
What is British GP sprint race?
The British Grand Prix is a motor race, usually held at the Silverstone Circuit in England.
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