F1 is set to revise the format of its Sprint event for 2024 following criticism of its scheduling over the course of the past season.
For this year, the Sprint featured at six grands prix weekends, but with qualifying and the Sprint itself running on Saturday.
The offset was a sole practice session on Friday, following by qualifying for the grand prix that evening.
For the drivers and teams, there was a lack of a flow across a weekend given the Saturday separation caused by the Sprint.
Following the fourth and final F1 Commission hearing of the year in Abu Dhabi, ahead of the season-closing race at the Yas Marina circuit, there was “overall support for an update to the Sprint format for 2024 to further rationalise the weekend by separating Sprint activities from those for the grand prix”, according to F1.
One of the major concerns that was often aired this year was the fact all 20 cars were locked down under parc fermé conditions following Friday qualifying.
It meant the teams were forced to run the same car for Sprint qualifying, and the Sprint, as well as the grand prix. That led to pitlane starts for any driver should his team have been forced to work on his car after Friday.
There have been calls from within F1 for changes to the parc fermé regulations going forward to afford teams the opportunity to make alterations across a Sprint weekend without the possibility of being punished.
With a Sprint calendar for next season due to be finalised in the coming weeks, the Sporting Advisory Committee will now work through the specific details “particularly regarding timing and parc fermé regulations”, with a final proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission at its first meeting of next year.
The likelihood is that Sprint qualifying will take place on Friday evening after FP1, with the Sprint on Saturday followed later that day by qualifying for the grand prix.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said: “We think some changes to the sequence of the sessions, and some changes when it comes to the parc fermé rules, is the right direction.
“We don’t think there should be some dramatic changes in the execution of the Sprint race.”
Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner, however, countered Stella’s final point as it is his belief that “the Sprints need to evolve a bit”.
He added: “I can understand the concept, and there being action on all three days, which for the promoter and fans provides an interest.
“But the Sprints, in some cases, have been slightly underwhelming because there’s no pit stop, and it tends to stay in grid order. It’s a little bit like getting a medal for a long run.
“If there can be a bit more racing introduced, but then you have to look at what are the consequences of that. I think it needs a bit more work on it in the sporting forum.
“No doubt we’ll sit down at the next Commission meeting of the new year and finalise the format.”
The F1 Commission has also determined there will be no tyre blanket ban for 2025, as had been planned, and instead, the focus from supplier Pirelli will be “focused on reducing issues of overheating and improving the raceability of the tyres”.
Additionally, following the extreme heat conditions experienced at the Qatar GP, with some drivers left exhausted at the end of the race, and requiring treatment for heat exhaustion, the Commission has “approved updates to the Technical Regulations to permit a scoop to increase driver cooling to be fitted to the car”.
With regard to the levels of spray experienced across grand prix weekends when there has been heavy rain, a further test will take place in the spring of 2024.
The Commission confirmed that the test “will use a cover design that completely envelopes the tyre, in order to establish a proof of concept for the wheel cover with these cars and help define the future direction of the project”.
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