New Delhi:- F1 is currently hard at work adding some sprint races to the full F1 calendar and talks will begin soon on how to further tweak the 2024 spectacle.
Grand Prix bosses are happy to keep the number of sprint races at six next year, but any improvements to the sprint plan will be discussed at the F1 Commission meeting scheduled for the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that the idea of introducing a special 'Grand Slam' element to the sprint weekend is being considered. This element is awarded to the driver who takes pole position in both the sprint and the main grand prix, achieving placement and victory.
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In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com about his sprint plans for next year, Domenicali said that "There are six sprints scheduled and I think we will announce in September as the F1 Commission is scheduled to meet over the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix."
“I would like to make one suggestion in line with the ‘Grand Slam’ concept. It should be awarded as something special that reflects.” It is understood that the idea of a 'Grand Slam' is still in its early stages and F1 will first seek discussions with the teams on the overall concept before focusing more on the final final prize.
We believe this is unlikely to award additional championship points, but could ultimately result in special trophies or other rewards if the driver had the upper hand.
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As with the 'Grand Slam' idea, F1 teams will also debate whether the format of the sprint weekend should be improved for next year. We believe areas to consider are whether the tire distribution and parc ferme rules should be changed, and whether the weekend schedule should be flipped to allow better dynamics for Sunday's set-up race. It is
The sprint race weekend now has a fully split Saturday, with sprint qualifying in the morning and a short race in the afternoon.
One idea put forward by some team chiefs is to use the Friday qualifying of the sprint weekend to set the starting grid for the sprint race, which takes place on Saturday morning instead of the afternoon. Saturday afternoon will be devoted to qualifying for the actual Grand Prix.
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Any changes to the sprint format would mean new changes to the weekend schedule, which could confuse fans. But Domenicali argues that research shows that optimizing the format doesn't risk offending many people.
"We analyzed this point," he said. “I think loyal viewers who have their own habits are at higher risk than new fans who are much more open to change.”
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"But there is no big news on the format side. We want to stabilize our 6-week weekend with sprint races and honor longtime fan customs.”
Formula 1 is on the way to introducing something very entertaining for the F1 fans named the ‘Grand Slam’ as told by the CEO of Formula 1.