Photo Credit:AP
As MARCA reported last week, the FIA has given the green light to the new F1 sprint, with the unanimous backing of all the teams, which will have six races this season.
The new race format also sees the debut of double qualifying, i.e. the shorter Saturday sprint race will have its own qualifying, also shorter.
In essence, a mini grand prix has been placed within the grand prix. So Sunday's race, the classic long race, will have its normal, classic one-hour qualifying, but on Friday.
It is worth bearing in mind that whatever happens will not affect Sunday, so, as the FIA recognises, the drivers will be able to take their chances, "drive harder", without fearing that their position on Sunday will change, as it did last year.
Now it will be a frantic high-speed knockout event: a 12-minute SQ1 for the 20 drivers, SQ2 of just 10 minutes for the 15 who survive and the final 8 minutes for the top ten drivers who will be playing for the top ten positions.
Baku to host first new-look Sprint
Thus, the Baku weekend, and the other five sprint races of 2023, will have, on the Friday, the Free 1, followed by the traditional one-hour qualifying (where Sunday's pole position is decided).
Then, on Saturday will be the Sprint Shootout and the Sprint race itself, and Sunday is the normal long race.
Two of the three free practice sessions will therefore disappear, a long-standing aspiration of the FIA, and some new features will appear.
- Grid penalties in FP1 and Friday qualifying will apply to the race
- Grid penalties in sprint shootout apply to sprint
- Grid penalties in sprint apply to the race
- Parc ferme breaches mean a pit lane start in both sprint and race
- PU penalties only apply to race
