The F1 Sprint format will make its seasonal debut this weekend in Shanghai with some changes compared to 2023
F1 is preparing to experience an exciting weekend ahead of the Chinese GP where it will compete the first of six appointments seasonal of Sprint format. Format that this year will see some innovations both in terms of structure of the weekend and on the technical front. Let's find out better what it is and how the Sprint format changes compared to the 2023 season. Let's start by seeing what's new on the day of Friday. It is confirmed a single 60-minute free practice session.After free practice, the Sprint Shootouta shorter qualification than the traditional session, divided into three sessions: SQ1 (12 minutes), SQ2 (10 minutes), SQ3 (8 minutes). Saturday instead it will be on stage there Sprint Race, (fast race) which will take place on Saturday morning and is the first event of the day. The race will be approx 100 km long, lasting about half an hour. Also on Saturday afternoon, after the Sprint Race, the traditional qualification to determine the starting grid for the main race on Sunday.
F1, Chinese GP: further news in the Sprint format
The system relating to i has remained unchanged assigned Sprint scores ranging from 1st to 8th place and respectively award the drivers eight to one points. The main change regarding weekends in the Sprint format is related to closed park. In the past, during Sprint weekends, teams were prohibited from changing the set-up of their cars once qualifying began, as happened on traditional weekends. This rule caused difficulties for the teams, as they only had one free practice session to decide on the set-up to use for the whole weekend.
However, in 2024 this rule has changed. Now, the parc fermé regime it is active from the beginning of the Sprint Shootout until the end of the Sprint Race and then again from the beginning of qualifying until the end of the Grand Prix. This means that in the period between the Sprint Shootout and qualifying, parc fermé will not apply and teams will have the opportunity to make changes to the set-up of their cars. This change aims to allow teams to optimize the performance of the cars during the Sprint weekend, giving them greater flexibility in tuning and improving the cars to suit track conditions. Ultimately, they will be 6 in totale i weekend which will see the Sprint format take place, which in addition to the Chinese GP we will also see a Miami in the USA, at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, in Austin, Texas in the United States, on the Interlagos circuit in Brazil and at Losail in Qatar.
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