“Wide support” but no official green light for Sprint races

The principle is not yet officially ratified but the idea is gaining ground in the minds of the stakeholders of the Formula 1. 

A week after Stefano Domenicali's statements concerning the potential addition of Sprint races to the calendar from 2021, the project was presented to the F1 Commission, whose members met virtually this Thursday. 

Three Grands Prix have been pre-selected to experiment with the measure this season: Montreal, Monza, and Interlagos. On these weekends, Free Practice 2 on Friday would be replaced by a qualifying session which would determine the starting order for the famous Sprint round organized on Saturday. 

The results of the shortened event would then form the grid for the traditional Sunday Grand Prix, while the top 8 in the Sprint round would also receive points on a reduced scale. 

The teams gave the project an initial positive reception but they now want to dissect it from all angles to see how to best exploit it. 

« All teams recognize the importance of interacting with fans in innovative and different ways to bring a more exciting weekend format to life, said the FIA ​​and Liberty Media, F1's commercial rights holder, in a joint statement. 

From then on, there was broad support from all stakeholders for a new method of qualifying for certain races. A working group was thus formed to create a complete action plan with the aim of making a final decision before the start of the 2021 championship. ». 

• Roadmap for engines 2025

F1 took advantage of this Commission meeting to confirm its intention to perform in Portimão on May 2 for the 3rd round of the 2021 season. The officialization of the Portuguese GP, however, remains subject to the signing of a contract with the local promoter. 

The 2022 engine freeze was not the only decision adopted unanimously this Thursday. In fact, the number of tire test days will increase from 25 to 30. Pirelli had requested this to best prepare for the transition to 18 inches in a delicate health context. 

In a bid to control costs, another working group was set up to consider regulating the salaries of drivers and team managers. This forum will include those first concerned, namely the runners. 

Finally, F1 and the FIA ​​detailed the roadmap for what the next generation of engines should be, the debut of which has been brought forward to 2025, in response to the early introduction of motor gel. 

Here is the list of objectives to complete:

– Relevance to the automotive industry, social issues, and environmental protection
– Use of 100% renewable fuel
– Creation of a “powerful and evocative” engine.
– Strict cost reduction
– Attractiveness in the eyes of potential new builders

Suffice to say that we have the impression of reading the 2021 action plan at the time when propellants were to be part of the regulatory revolution which has since been postponed to 2022.