The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile has announced that there will be changes in the F1 Sprint format in 2024.
The changes, formulated by the Sporting Advisory Committee, were approved and supported by teams and stakeholders and are meant to make the sport easier to follow.
"The Commission gave overall support for an update to the sprint format for 2024 to further rationalize the weekend by separating Sprint activities from those for the Grand Prix," the FIA said in a statement.
"The final calendar for the 2024 sprint events will be published in the coming weeks."
The proposal will be presented to the F1 Commission this January.
To the uninitiated, here is what you need to know concerning the F1 Sprint Format.
1. What is the F1 Sprint Race?
It is like a 100km dash where drivers race to the chequered flag. Participants will race for points.
2. How many points for the winner?
The winner will get 8 points, descending to P8. Both drivers and teams score points for their respective championships.
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Those who don't finish in the Top 8 will be put in a tight spot as the results of the F1 Spring will determine the starting order in the Grand Prix.
3. When and where was it launched?
The F1 Sprint format first debuted in 2021 at the British Grand Prix.
4. How does the qualifying work?
There are two qualifying sessions that take place on race weekends: one after practice on Friday for Sunday's grand prix, and one on Saturday for the sprint.
The qualifying round is termed by drivers and teams as Sprint Shootout. Here, there are three qualifying stages for the Grand Prix. Q1 lasts 18 minutes, while Q2 lasts 15 minutes. Q3 goes on for 12 minutes.
Only 15 drivers can advance to Q2, while there will be five fewer in Q3.
Drivers and cars will be given a seven-minute break at each stage.
5. What's the criticism about the old format?
The Sprint race is used for the Grand Prix, and some players complain about how grueling it can be for them and their cars. There used to be just three sprint weekends in 2021, but it has been doubled.
Some drivers, including Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, got disqualified for failing the post-race technical checks.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing has a negative opinion about it.
"We should just get rid of the sprint weekend and then everyone can just set up their cars normally," Verstappen told reporters in November last year.
"It wouldn't have happened that we would have had a normal race weekend. These things only happen when you have a sprint weekend where everything is so rushed into your in-between FP1 and qualifying."
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team CEO Toto Wolff echoed Verstappen and called it stupid.
Instead, he proposed revisions. In his version, he wants the F1 Sprint to have an entertainment-focused approach under a reverse grid format to differentiate them from the main Grand Prix events.
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