Earlier this week, Formula 1 officially confirmed a trial of three 100km sprint races this year to decide the final grid. The first event is scheduled to take place at the British Grand Prix in July.
While teams are still getting to grips with the strategic implications of the change to the weekend format, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc thinks, from the drivers’ perspective, the new format will deliver a fresh feel.
For as well as changing the approach to qualifying, with one single practice session beforehand, there will be a new mindset to the races too since drivers won’t have to manage their tyres so much.
“Normally, we have a very clear plan throughout the weekend with FP1, FP2, FP3, but now we’ll only have a FP1 and then straight to quali,” he said – ” This is something I like personally, because there’s less time to study before quali, so you might make a bigger difference than [now]. Then, for the sprint race, it is very difficult to say. I think one good thing about the sprint race is that we’ll finally be able to push those cars for a whole race, 100 kilometres, to the maximum. This might be nice for us drivers.
“But then we’ll have to see whether this is a good thing for the show or not, which at the end is what matters the most. And then the Sunday race has to remain the most important event of the weekend.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc explained, ahead of the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix at the Portimao Circuit.
Formula 1 drivers have been generally supportive of the idea of the sprint race trials.
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