Sprint qualifying: single-lap Q3 planned amid new format for Baku

The new format
The next Grand Prix of the Formula 1 world championship, scheduled on the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan from 28 to 30 April, will be the fourth of this season, but above all the first to include the Sprint race. For this occasion, a program is underway to change the format of the weekend: Friday would feature the usual first free practice session, with the second being canceled and replaced with qualifying. This, moreover, will establish the starting grid for the Sunday race, while another qualifying session for the Sprint race will be held on Saturday morning, with the green light for the latter coming on a few hours later, in the afternoon.

How the Sprint qualifying takes place
The new qualifying session, according to what is emerging while awaiting the official decision, foresees the performance of the three phases currently present in the battle for pole position: Q1, Q2 and Q3. All of these, unlike the traditional weekends, however, will take place with shorter timings, to the point that a specific plan is being discussed only for Q3, which is the decisive one for assigning the first ten positions on the Sprint starting grid.

One lap and that’s it
Q3, by regulation, provides 12 minutes available to be able to set at least one fast lap. In recent years, on a track like the one in Baku, the drivers have had the opportunity to complete two timed laps, but the conduct of qualifying has often been hampered by accidents which have forced the Race Direction to display the red flag, and therefore to temporarily interrupt the session. In this way, with a smaller number of minutes for the Sprint qualifying, the possibility of only one lap for Q3 could therefore be seriously considered.

Waiting for the ‘green light’
At the moment, decisions have not yet been made not only regarding this option, but also and above all regarding the new format marked by a double qualifying session on the weekends with the Sprint races. In recent days, the Ferrari Team Principal, Frédéric Vasseur, had seemed in favor of this project, to the point of stating that all the teams were in agreement.

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The revised sprint qualifying format is expected to be officially approved in the week before the Baku weekend.